


Book One; New Beginnings

by Serendipitous_Posts



Series: Where There's Smoke [1]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Development, Families of Choice, Family Bonding, Family Issues, Gen, I'm taking a wrench to canon, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, Sibling Bonding, Sibling Love, Smart Choices are Being Made, he's not called scourge in this, or tiny, scourge gets adopted by his dads boyfriend
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-08-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:01:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 23,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24985756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serendipitous_Posts/pseuds/Serendipitous_Posts
Summary: Tiny is raised believing that the clan cats are a scourge to all good cats out there. Then he was taken in by them.Or; Tiny is raised in Windclan, becomes a warrior, meets his brother and due to his refusal to let his grudges go, helps reveal a murderer
Relationships: Scourge & Everyone, Scourge & Firestar (Warriors), Scourge & Tallstar (Warriors)
Series: Where There's Smoke [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1808572
Comments: 71
Kudos: 109





	1. Allegiances

** Windclan ** ****

** Leader: ** **Tallstar** \- Black and white tom with a very long tail

** Deputy: ** **Deadfoot** \- Black tom with a twisted paw

** Medicine Cat: ** **Hawkheart** \- Mottled gray-and-brown tom with yellow eyes

**Barkface** -Short-tailed brown tom

** Warriors **

**Redclaw** \- dark ginger tom

**Mudclaw** \- mottled dark brown tom.

Mentor to Webpaw

**Tornear** \- tabby tom

Mentor to Runningpaw

**Hareflight** \- light brown tom

**Onewhisker** \- young brown tabby tom

Mentor to Whitepaw

**Aspenfall** \- gray-and-white tom

**Doespring** \- light brown she-cat

**Mistmouse** \- light brown tabby she-cat

**Plumclaw** \- dark gray she-cat

** Apprentices **

Runningpaw \- light gray tabby she-cat

Whitepaw \- small white she-cat

Webpaw - dark gray tabby tom

** Queens **

Ashfoot \- gray she-cat

Morningflower - tortoiseshell she-cat

** Elders **

Whiteberry - small pure-white tom

Flamepelt \- dark ginger tom

Lilywhisker - light brown she-cat

Larksplash - tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat

Appledawn \- rose-cream she-cat

Hickorynose \- brown tom

** Thunderclan **

**Leader:** **Sunstar** \- Bright ginger tom with yellow eyes

 **Deputy:** **Bluefur** \- Gray she-cat with blue eyes

** Medicine Cat: ** **Featherwhisker** \- Pale silvery tom with bright amber eyes

**Spottedpaw** -A dark tortoiseshell she-kit

** Shadowclan **

**Leader:** **Brokenstar** \- Long-haired dark brown tabby

 **Deputy:** **Blackfoot** \- Large white tom with huge jet-black paws

** Medicine Cat: ** **Yellowfang** \- old dark gray she-cat with a broad, flattened face

**Runningnose** \- Small gray and white tom

**Riverclan**

**Leader:** **Crookedstar** \- A huge light-colored tabby with a twisted jaw

 **Deputy:** **Oakheart** \- Reddish-brown tom with amber eyes

** Medicine Cat: ** **Brambleberry** \- White she-cat with black spots and blue eyes

**Mudfur** -Light brown tom


	2. Prologue

In some ways, it could even be considered a nice day. The sun was shining down through the  Fourtrees , and when Firestar took a deep breath in, he could tell that it probably wasn’t going to rain anytime soon. His clanmates were beside him, loyal despite his heritage.

_Speaking of heritage. ._ He looked over at his kin,standing beside his leader and awaiting any command. It seemed like so long ago they had fought together, and Firestar was so thankful Windclan decided to side with them rather than against them. He had missed his brother.

The other tom, as if sensing Firestar’s thoughts on him, looked away from the conversing  Tallstar and  Deadfoot , and treaded through the crowds to reach him.  Thunderclan cats shifted warily at his approach, but let him past; they _were_ supposed to be united, after all. 

“We’ll be fine” Firestar said immediately, craning his neck down to meet the much smaller warrior’s unimpressed expression.

“Don’t try and raise my spirits, you’re not a medicine cat” they both glanced over their shoulders at  Yellowfang , who, sensing their looks, scowled at the both of them. Turning back, the black cat  amended “okay, you’re not **most** medicine cats.”

Firestar let out a huff of laughter, before sobering “see you on the other side then?”

“See you on the other side  _ brother _ .”

_ Flea brain, _ Firestar thought as his brother slinked back to his clan, ignoring the shocked  murmurings Firestar’s cats were spreading through their ranks.  _ I’ll get him back for that one. _

Then all thoughts of his brother and petty revenge left his mind, as on the opposite side of Fourtrees, more and more cats came slinking out of the bushes . . . . 


	3. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tiny gets lost, gets attacked and gets a dad

Tiny had never felt so small in his whole life. 

He felt like his pelt, which stung due to the wounds his attacker had inflicted on him, had grown too big for him, making him feel even more off-balanced as he stumbled deeper into the Housefolk place. He had no plans or ideas of where to go, he just wanted _away_ from that awful forest and those even _worse_ cats. 

Time passed weirdly; it had seemed like morning not so long ago, and yet, when he glanced up at the sky, he sees that the very first of the stars are starting to make their way into existence. Night was coming. 

It was only then that he realised the state he was in; injured, without shelter as the sky began to darken, and no idea where he was or who to go to. 

He spun around, back the way he had came from, but he couldn’t remember the path he had taken in his rush to get as far away from his attackers as possible. He was lost. 

Letting out a mewl of alarm, he scrambled up a fence, craning his neck to try and see where he had come from. The forest was but a blur in the distance but he could probably reach it if he walked through the night, then he could work out where Mama lived from there. 

Of course, to do that he would actually need to step into the forest . . . 

Well, who said he needed to go home? It’s not like his mama would miss him, either. She was probably grateful when he vanished, thankful to no longer have to put up with him. If she wanted any of her kits to stay with her, then it would be Socks and Ruby. 

_Socks and Ruby!_ He could find them, right? It couldn’t be too hard, and they were kin, they had to help him! 

He imagined appearing in his one of his sibling’s new home, pawing the window, whichever sibling lived there’s shocked exclamation, fretting over him. . . . 

The fantasy was quickly soured, however, when he imagined their reactions to his wounds and the story behind them. He pictured them rolling their eyes “Tiny is such a liar” he could hear them saying. Or, worse, they would believe him. “Running away into the forest, little brother? Not even they wanted you.” 

Their laughs, their jeers- 

**No**. Tiny would not go to his siblings for help. 

But if he wasn’t going to his mama, and he wasn’t going to his siblings, what was he going to do? 

He paused at the thought, claws digging into the wood as a particularly harsh gust of wind threatened to send him careening off the fence. But that wind brought something else, a particularly delicious smell. _Chicken!_ He turned to regard the house the fence surrounded, where an open window revealed the food. 

Tiny’s stomach growled, reminding him of the last time he ate. It had been so long since he had chicken, his mama had let her three kits have some, and he had loved the little scraps he had gotten, the pieces that Ruby and Socks hadn’t wanted as they snatched up most of it. Shaking himself out of the memories, he craned his neck, trying to see in through the window. It didn’t look like there were any Housefolk there. 

It . . it wasn’t so bad, was it? He needed to eat, and he knew from experience that Housefolk had lots of foot, storing them like squirrels. It was nescessary, it was survival. 

Still, he made sure to give the air a quick sniff before leaping down. The wind was howling now, making any scents indistinguishable from the usual smells of a house. He bolts across the grass towards the windowsill, feeling nerves start to settle in his stomach, almost managing to feed his hunger. Almost. 

It takes him two tries to reach the windowsill; he has never been able to jump very high, his small stature working against him in that regard. When he finally does, it’s less of a graceful jump and more of an awkward flop, but it’s all worth it for his prize; the chicken. 

It tasted just as good as it did the last time he ate it, better even, now that he needs it that badly. He squirms with delight at the taste of it, carefully working around the bone. It is the best meal he has ever had. 

The low, dangerous growl snaps Tiny back to reality, crouching over a plate, in a home that was not his. Turning around to peer back outside, he was met with sharp, pearly white fangs being bared as the biggest dog he had ever seen snarled at him. 

Tiny’s heartbeat shook his entire body as he stared, wide eyed at the dog. _How did I miss him?_ He wondered desperately, risking a glance at the fence, only to see how the dog would be hidden by a bush. _Because of course he would._

The dog let out a volley of barks, and Tiny flinched back, making the plate make a screeching noise that hurt his ears and just seemed to set the dog off. It lunged at him, only to fall back with a yelp. 

_What?_ Puzzled, Tiny rose up on his hind legs, to see the rope connecting the dogs collar to the dirt. _He can’t move._ The rope made a creaking sound that put his fur on edge. _Yet. The dog can’t move yet._ Urgently, he spun back around and started eating as much of the chicken as he could. He knew how much danger he was in but he was just so hungry. The dog’s barking became much more frantic and his ears flattened against the sound of it, trying to eat his fill so he could _leave_. 

**Snap.**

_No!_

Tiny lunged out the window just as the dog came barrelling up. Paws slipping on the slick, wet grass, he bolted back towards the fence, hearing the dog clumsily turn around to give chase. Adrenaline was a powerful thing, his paws moving faster than they ever had as he jumped as high as he could. 

He slammed into the fence, not on the top but close to it. Letting out a hiss of alarm, he sunk his claws into the soft wood and began to climb, feeling the dog’s hot breath just underneath him. _Come on, come on, come on_ he chanted, pulling himself up. 

The sudden absence of the dog’s breath made him nervous, but he didn’t look down, instead when he got to the top, he leapt down immediately, the breath knocked out of him from the landing. He took a deep breath in, trying to calm himself, then frowned. The dogs scent, shouldn’t it be farther away now? Why was it so close? 

The sound of digging alerted him to what was really going on, and Tiny yelped when he spotted a head start to wriggle it’s way out from under the fence, wood splintering in it's wake. _It’s escaping!_ Tiny turned tail and ran, hearing a **_crack_ **behind him as the dog broke through. 

When he had been stumbling down these streets earlier, it had been dazed and confused, and he hadn’t really been focusing as he trotted along as a slow pace. Not this time, though. He practically flew down the paths, leaping over fences, and backtracking through gardens. Nothing worked, however, as the dog seemed determined to chase him down, and seemed to be tracking him through everything. 

Tiny stumbled when the ground began to shake beneath him, the mistake costing him some precious seconds as he righted himself. But the shaking, a mixture of the dogs howls and pawsteps, his heartbeat and breath and . . . something else, continued, growing more and more powerful the further he went. He turned a particularly sharp corner, and immediately found out what that something else was. Large creatures, like the one he had seen outside back at hom- Mama's home. Except that one had clearly been asleep, and these ones were wide awake, roaring past him with deafening noise as he stared, stunned. 

So stunned he forgot about the dog until it was almost on top of him. Yelping, he was knocked flat and he had to twist around to see the dog’s teeth, dripping saliva, inches away from his throat. He wriggled and squirmed, trying to find a way to squeeze out of there, but at the sound of the dog’s growl, low and rumbling, perfectly at home with the sound of those other creatures roaring past them, he stayed still, ears pinned flat. 

If he didn’t know any better, he would say that it looked almost smug. 

Tiny's breathing shortened, panicked and laboured after the chase, struggling to suck in air as the world grew fuzzy at the edges. Even though there was only a paw on his chest, it felt like the dog's entire weight was on him. _I'm going to die,_ he thought, for the second time that day.

It let out a short bark of what may have been satisfaction- which was then followed up by a yelp of surprise. Tiny wasn’t entirely sure if he was imagining it or not, but the dog suddenly vanished from where it had been standing over him, and in its place was another cat. 

The cat- a tom- peered curiously down at him for a second, green eyes wide and concerned. He tried to say something, but even though Tiny saw his muzzle move, no words reached his ringing ears. His breathing was still heavy, uneven and he had yet to find a way to actually move his body.

Thankfully, the flame coloured tom seemed to realise he couldn’t hear him. Instead he leaned down and carefully picked Tiny up off the ground, before turning and striding away. 

Tiny had enough clarity of mind of glance behind him- the dog was lying on the path, one of those creatures paused in front of him, with a Housefolk crouched beside him. 

* * *

The tom couldn’t speak when he was carrying Tiny, but, thankfully, he lived nearby. His home had a flap in the door which allowed him to come and go and bring along little kits who were nearly mauled to death by dogs. 

Tiny was set, gently, down in a bed, which was good because he did not feel like standing, while the tom sat across from him, his head on his paws as he regarded the much younger cat. “My name is Jake” he said at last “what’s your name?” He opened his mouth to answer, and then shut it again 

The question, simple as it was, shouldn’t have shocked Tiny as much as it did. He had been named Tiny because he was the smallest, weakest of his litter. He _hated_ that name; he didn’t _want_ that name. And here was a chance to change it. But he couldn’t think of a better one. Instead, he just kept quiet. 

“Nameless, huh? Well, why was that dog chasing you?” 

Tiny tucked his paws underneath him. “I wandered into his garden” he answered, careful not to mention him stealing food, especially as this stranger had just let him into his house. 

Jake nodded, somehow still looking cheerful as he said “that same dog attacked me once. Luckily, I also had help.” Then he looked more serious, inching closer to Tiny so that he could sniff him “how badly did he injure you?” 

“Uh . .” Tiny wasn’t sure what he was talking about, until he glanced down at the shallow cuts on his body “oh, no, the dog didn’t do this, a cat did.” 

At this, Jake’s ears flattened, fur spiking upward. “A-a cat? Did this?” He stared down at the tiny kit, obviously bewildered “who would do such a thing?” He demanded. 

Tiny leaped at the chance to explain what happened, literally jumping to his paws in his haste “it was one of those” he had to stop and think of his Mama’s words “savage clan cats!” 

“What.” 

He ended up telling Jake the whole story; sneaking out, being attacked, running away and getting lost and his encounter with the dog. He even ended up admitting to stealing the chicken, but Jake didn’t seem to react to it. In fact, Jake didn’t seem to react to anything. He was completely still, staring at Tiny without really seeing him, and the more it went on, the more nervous Tiny became. 

Eventually Tiny was through with his tale, and sat waiting for Jake’s judgement. He was nervous Jake would laugh, or proclaim him a liar, or just kick him out, but, right now, with Jake just staring without saying anything, he honestly thought he would have preferred it. After a heartbeat too long, he decided to try and help the Tom, asking “Jake?” Which, thankfully, seemed to snap him out of whatever was going on. 

Jake shook himself briskly “right, yes, sorry. We should probably get you home to your mother’s then, shouldn’t we?” 

  


Tiny folded in on himself, crouching down as his tail wrapped around his paws “but I don’t want to be drowned!” He wailed, scared. 

“Your sister was just trying to scare you” Jake reassured him “Housefolk don’t **really** do that.” 

He peered up at the ginger cat suspiciously. On one paw, it _did_ sound like something Ruby would do to him, but on the other, how did he know how to trust him? 

Sensing his distrust, Jake suggested “why don’t we find your mother and ask her? She’ll know for sure” he glanced outside his window, showing the moon in the sky “we can go in the morning; my owners are never really around anyways. What’s your mother’s name?” 

_What’s the harm?_ “Quince” he said, too busy eyeing the soft material under his paws to notice Jake’s sudden stiff posture. “I don’t know where she lives though. Somewhere near the” he shuddered “-forest.” 

Jake stared at him, something resembling awe in his gaze. It made Tiny uncomfortable, made him shift awkwardly from paw to paw. “Yeah, you’re definitely staying the night” Jake decided, decisive as he stepped onto the bed beside Tiny, curling up so that he had lots of space if he wanted it. 

“Thank you” Tiny muttered, only then remembering his manners. “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t stepped in” he let out a sigh, resting his head on his paws “just wish you were there when those clan cat savages attacked me.” 

“You know” Jake said abruptly “not all clan cats are like that. Some are actually very nice.” 

“How would you know?” 

Jake’s tail swished, bringing Tiny closer to him even as his eyes closed. “It was a while ago, but I’ll never forget it. I, like you, had been attacked by a dog, and was so sure I was going to die . . . .” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jake; Shoves a dog into oncoming traffic  
> Also Jake; hehe big himbo dad energy
> 
> Ask me anything here; https://warriorswitings.tumblr.com/


	4. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe the real treasure was the trauma we collected on the way

_Tiny let out a squeak of shock and pain as he was thrown against a tree, slumping at the base of it as he stared up at his attacker._ _Tigerpaw_ _stalked over to him triumph radiating from him as he closed the distance._

_He looked up, hoping for the return of that blue-grey she-cat, but there was no one in sight. He was alone. He was trembling hard enough that his vision was starting to blue; he could no longer tell if his attacker was cat or dog, the only thing he could clearly see were the sharp, pointy teeth steps away from him. The laughter of his kin seemed to echo in his ears, harsh and mocking, as the creature let out a yowl and a snarl at the same time._

_There was no time to react as the teeth shut tight around his neck, digging_ _deep ._ _._

Tiny jumped awake, leaping to his paws as his fur stood on end, making him appear much larger. Frantic, he spun around, searching through the darkness for his lurking assailant. He almost leaped out of his fur when his paw brushed something, only realising it was a fluffy ginger tail after he had exited the bed. 

_Dreaming, I was dreaming_ he realised , feeling embarrassment sink its claws into his fur. _Ruby and Socks were right; I_ _am_ _a baby._ He stayed there for a bit, chest heaving as he tried to get himself back under control and get back in the bed. 

Trying to distract himself, he scrutinised the strange tom who had saved him. _Why had he done it? That dog could have easily attacked him too. . ._ He had never seen this tom before, he was sure of it, but something about him, the light patch on his belly and darker fur running down his back, reminded him of something, a hazy memory. 

He was careful when setting his paws as he climbed back in, the plush material making it easy to trip and fall over as he made his way back towards his saviour. He curled up beside him, into a small ball. He had no plans to sleep tonight, but he still shut his eyes, leaning into Jake’s stomach and pretending he could still smell his mother’s scent. 

* * *

For a moment, when he woke up, Jake forgot about the previous night. He almost fell back to sleep, but a wriggling . . . something, shoved it’s cold body into his side. Blinking down at the small black squirming thing, he struggled to think of what it could be- 

_Oh._

Jake was perfectly still, watching his _son_ twist and turn in his sleep. _His_ **son**. Of all the things he had been expecting when he heard those strange noises, he hadn’t been expecting . . that. To be fair to him, though, it wasn’t as if the kitten looked like him; his black and white fur bore no resemblance to Jake’s flame coloured pelt, and his eyes were an icy blue instead of green. And while Jake was big and round, this one was small and scrawny. He didn’t look like his son. In fact, when he saw the kit, pinned under that dog, sleek black and white fur, he had thought- 

Well. He had thought he had been someone else. Another black and white cat. 

Still though; he had a _son_! His fur prickled, excited as he tried to stay still for the kit. And two other kits as well! Though, from what his _son(!)_ told him, they didn’t sound very nice. At least they were off to good homes now. 

But that raised the next problem; what was he going to do with him? His owners would never allow another cat to live here with him, and he couldn’t think of any Households that expressed interest in wanting a new Housecat. 

Jake had seen what happened with the streetcats around the place, and the idea of his _son_ becoming one of them made his ears ring unpleasantly, and his stomach twist. 

That left one other option. Though he wasn’t sure the little black cat would go for it. 

His son woke quicker than he did, eyes shooting open as he pulled himself up, wincing at the, thankfully, shallow scratches on his back. From what he was told, the black cat had wandered into the territory one day and had just been attacked. He wasn't sure who he was more disgusted with; the apprentice or the older cat encouraging him to hurt a kitten. He was so glad someone in that forest seemed to have sense at least, judging by the inclusion of a ‘blue cat’. 

Jake looked outside, checking to see where the sun was in the sky. If he was going to do this, he would have to be travelling, and he didn’t want to be gone so long as to upset his owners. But a part of him hesitated, unsure how to broach the subject. Putting on his friendliest, happiest tone, he turned to his son and asked “would you like to be a clan cat?” 

He wanted to claw his own ears off the moment he said it. The kit, who had been carefully eating some of the dry food left over in Jake’s bowl, jumped back, and send it skidding across the floor, spilling pellets everywhere “no!” His fur stood on end as his ears flattened, terrified. “They’ll kill me!” 

_Way to go Jake. _

Trying to take a step towards him just made the small cat scramble backwards, frantic. “They told me to never come back! Why would I want to go back?!” His shrill screech made Jake’s fur stand on end. 

“I’m not taking you back to the forest!” Jake rushed to add in the silence. “I would be taking you to a different clan.” 

The kit paused mid-tantrum, eyes narrowing suspiciously. “Other clans?” 

“Yes! There are four clans in the forest; I think the one who met was either Thunderclan or . . Shadeclan?” He paused in thought, then shook himself “something like that. I plan on taking you to Windclan, where my friend Talltail is.” 

“Talltail? The cat from your story?” 

“The very same” Jake confirmed. “His clan allowed rogues-cats that didn’t have owners and weren’t clan cats, to pass through all the time. I’m sure he would be _delighted_ to take you in.” 

His black fur lying flat once more, he didn’t look angry so much as uncertain, tail flicking back and forth as he eyed the tom. “Not all clan cats are mean. That she-cat you told me about, she seemed nice, right?” 

He nodded somewhat reluctantly, and looked like he was going to say something, probably something not very nice about the clan cats, but seemed to think better of it, instead piping up“but _why_ can’t I stay with _you_?” 

_Oh, how I wish you could. “_ My owners do not want a new cat. Once, a cat stopped through here, and they sent it away. I do not know where your mother is, and even if I did, there’s always the chance you’ll be thrown out and” he fixed his son with his full attention, the kit squirming under the intensity of it “if you go out on the streets, you will starve, and I-” 

“And you what?” The kit asked, eyes narrowed.

“And” Jake slowly sounded out what exactly he wanted to say “I want you to see that not all clan cats are savages. Some are” he thought about black and white fur “some are very nice.” 

His son’s singular white paw came out to bat a pellet absentmindedly. “I-I don’t know” he admitted, which was a step up from the major freakout he had had earlier. 

“That’s okay” Jake assured him, before an idea hit him “tell you what, I’ll take you to Windclan to meet Talltail myself. If you don’t want to stay with him, I’ll take you back and we can figure something else out. That seem fair?” 

“I-I” his son looked desperately around, as if searching for some kind of clue as to what was going on here. 

The Tom felt a stab of disappointment that he didn’t immediately jump on board with his idea, but forced that feeling away. The kit had been through an awful time, it wasn’t his fault if he was unsure. “I can give you some time to think it over, if you want” he offered, and the kit nodded, before bolting away across Jake's home. 

Jake watched his son scamper away, and hoped he would make the right choice. 

* * *

Jake’s home was different from Mama’s. The ground in one area was covered in a soft fur that Tiny liked to sink his paws into, enjoying the sensation even as he made his way towards a window. He couldn’t see the forest, but he knew it was there, looming somewhere in the distance. He didn’t want to go back there. 

Except . . . according to Jake, he _wasn’t_. He was going to a different clan, one that didn’t live in the forest, one that was, from the story he had been told at least, didn’t attack Housecats. Jake had described Talltail with the same dreamy tone Mama had always used when talking about his father as he explained how brave and kind his friend was. 

_But how do I know he’ll take me in?_ There was, after all, a difference between _liking_ a Housecat and _taking one in_. Tiny stared into his reflection, his small, thin frame, flattened ears and helpless eyes staring back. _I look pathetic._

Sudden movement caught his attention, and he followed it to see another cat skitter across the path not far from the window, a chunk of rotten meat in his maw. He was thin, ribs showing through his fur even as he bounded away from an angry Housefolk. Tiny felt his fur prickle, _is that what could happen to me?_

He stared after the departing pale tom for a while, then looked down at his paws and took a deep breath in. He didn’t know how this would go; if the clan would laugh at him or attack him, or even actually take him in. But anything seemed better than what he had just witnessed; the sandy pale tom gripping the small portion of rotted meat as if it was the only thing that mattered. He imagined himself like that; small and frailer than ever, always running, always hungry. He imagined his ribs sticking out, covered in scars, eyes dull and lifeless. He tried to imagine his siblings finding him in that condition and shivered.

_**Anything** was better than that life._

But was he brave enough? To face the clan cats again?

_“I’m not sure about this Ruby” Tiny said, tail flicking nervously as he stared up at the nest. Beside him, his sister scoffed, sharing a look with Socks._

_“_ _Of course_ _you’re not, you coward” she spat, fur rising along her spine, before giving herself a brisk shake “look” she said in a far calmer tone of voice “everyone knows how pretty_ _birds_ _eggs are. Don’t you think mama would like some?”_

_“I-I do, it’s just- what if we get hurt?”_

_Socks gave him a look that was filled with contempt. “Well, we’re never going to know unless we do it now, won’t we?” As Tiny continued to hesitate, the other two looked at_ _each other “come on, Ruby, we’ll let the_ _baby_ _stay here while_ _we_ _do all the work.”_

Tiny’s claws dug into the wood beneath him, feeling ice start to form in his veins. “I am not a coward” he muttered “and I am _not_ a baby!” He spun around and leaped back down onto the fur covered floor, marching back towards where Jake was. 

“Okay” he announced, stopping in front of him with his chest puffed out. “I’ll come with you.” 

Jake visibly brightened, rising to his paws. “You will?” He asked, delighted. 

“I will” Tiny tried to sound as certain as he could, giving a firm nod “but” he glanced over his shoulder, back towards the window where that street cat had bolted by “but if I don’t want to go with them, you have to promise not to leave me on the streets.” 

Jake leaned down, and Tiny took a small step back, alarmed, but all he did was gently touch his nose with Jake’s own. “Promise” he murmured, and then made his way back towards the flap “let’s go then!” He said, before ducking through it. 

Tiny paused before passing through it, giving one last look over his shoulder. _I really hope I don’t regret this._

* * *

The weather wasn’t exactly ideal; cloudy skies that occasionally delivered light rain, making it hard to see. Had he not had a guide, Tiny certainly would of have gotten lost again. As it was, he had to briskly trot to keep up with Jake’s longer legs as the cat lead the way at a leisurely pace. 

He didn’t even know he was being led back to the path the dog had cornered him on until he felt the rumbling beneath his paws again, and stopped dead in his tracks. Sensing his hesitation, Jake too halted “we need to follow the road to reach Windclan” he explained “we won’t step on it, and the Carriers never leave the path.” 

Tiny hesitated, ears flicking back and forth in indecision as he remembered the awful smell of the area, and of the terrifying creatures that moved on it. Maybe this was a mistake, maybe he could find a way to stay with Jake. 

_Let the baby stay here._

His tail lashed from side to side, biting his teeth together as he ploughed onward, towards the loud, thunder-like sounds. He didn’t miss Jake’s surprised face, and felt a bit of bitter pride well up inside of him. _That’s right, I’m no coward_ he thought, triumphant. 

The closer they got to the path, the louder the roars became, forcing Tiny to tuck his ears tight to his head. That, mixed with the burning smell made it easy to find, sharp and strong to the point he could _taste them_. Somehow, during the chase he hadn’t noticed all of these things, but now they were batting him over the head, making his eyes water and throat clog. When they finally came across it, small rocks, up churned by the ‘Carriers’, flung themselves in his direction, and while they didn’t hurt, they did surprise him, sending him stumbling back into Jake’s legs. 

Jake had to raise his voice to be heard over the screeching Carriers “we need to go that way!” He yelled, flicking his tail in, to Tiny’s relief, the opposing direction of the forest. “Come on!” Tiny did so, trying not to wince when the Carriers came screaming by.

Conversation was hard to make like this, the wind and rain blowing their words away as the Carriers howled beside them, but Jake managed. “We need to find a way to get that collar off of you” Jake commented idly, even as he had to yowl the words, eyeing the purple band wrapped around Tiny’s neck. “Windclan will want you to get rid of it when you join-” 

“If I join” Tiny corrected, slightly irritated that this was being treated as a given already. 

“If you join” Jake amended “and if you want to be a Housecat, nobody will take you in if they think you already have an owner.” 

Tiny’s singular white paw raised, batting lightly at the shiny circle hanging from the collar. His Mama’s Owners had given him this. Ruby’s had been red and Sock’s had been blue, and he had always loved his because it was the same colour as his Mama’s. 

Except Mama was _gone_ now, and he may never see her again. His stomach jolted at the thought, and he stumbled, dizzy for a moment, before righting himself. He straightened him, dropping his paw as his eyes narrowed, and a feeling of coldness entered his veins. 

His Mama’s Owners had never really liked him. It was in the ways they would pick up Ruby and Socks, showering them with praise and affection, while Tiny was ignored in the background. His Mama had loved him, he knows, but she had never been all that great of a parent; never stepping in when Ruby and Socks were too cruel, never telling them to include Tiny in their games. 

Jake, a complete stranger, was nicer to him than his own kin. 

It was hard for him to wrap his head around but he didn't want to meet any of his kin again, didn't want to be brought back to his siblings or Mama. Didn't want to have a connection to them. And right now, the only connection he had to them was this collar. Whatever new life he wanted to lead, he would never be able to with this collar.

So he bit, hard as he could, down on the material. It made his jaw ache, so he just bit harder, imagining every cruel taunt his siblings had ever thrown at him, at his _mother's_ refusal to step in, at every single moment in that household. _Not fair, not fair,_ he chanted as he bit down so hard his teeth ached.

“Woah, woah, hang on!” Jake meowed, alarmed. “You’ll get hurt if you try doing it like that. We need to find something to open it with.” 

Tiny dropped the collar from his mouth and he immediately sniffed at the ground around him, looking for something to help him get this thing off. The stones around the path were too blunt or too small for them to do anything. But a sharp, thick scent caught his attention. _Blood_. 

To his surprise, not too far away from their location was the spot where the dog had cornered him. He could even see the sharp corner he had taken which led them to the path. The blood scent he was picking up came from a small patch on the path where the dog had been hit by the Carrier. 

There was no sign of the dog anymore, save for the smell of blood and dog hair. And . . 

Tiny squinted, before darting away from Jake’s side. The tom let out a cry of alarm, but Tiny remained off the path, sticking to the sides as he prowled closer, calm in ways he had never truly been, completely focused on his goal. The thing wasn’t on the path, but rather beside it, on a piece of flattened grass. It must have fallen out when the dog was hit. 

He picked up the dog's tooth carefully, inspecting its size and sharpness, before digging it into his collar. He didn’t even notice Jake come thundering up to him, he was so focused on getting the collar off of him. 

Tiny let out a small cry of shock when the tooth pierced through the collar, thankfully not drawing blood as it hit his skin. Jake stopped still, green eyes wide. “Are you okay?!” He demanded, sniffing Tiny’s face and chest anxiously.

Feeling a little embarrassed now, Tiny explained “yeah, just surprised me” he grunted, trying to remove the tooth, but to his horror, it was stuck, caught in his collar. “It won’t come out!” He hissed, trying to twist his head so he could bite it. 

“It’s not hurting you, is it?” 

Tiny closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. Other than being slightly restrictive- “no” he said, opening them again. 

Jake nodded, thoughtful “okay, so we wait until we can take your collar off, instead of messing with the tooth” he tilted his head to try and get a look at the point of the tooth, pushing against Tiny’s throat. “Don’t want to accidentally hurt you, after all.” 

Tiny took another breath in and nodded, marching off again with Jake falling into step beside him. The ice, while weak, was still there though, in his veins, making him feel cold and distant. He glanced up at the sky, seeing the sun start to make it's return from behind the clouds. _Hopefully I'll warm up soon_ , he thought

* * *

It was quiet after that, the two focusing on their journey, using bushes as cover to keep them safe from the Carriers. Occasionally, the houses on the other side of them would have cats, who would call out greetings and questions to the two of them, but, while he was polite, Jake never stayed around to chat, keeping the two moving. Sometimes, he would glance up at the sky, judging the time, before lowering his head and trudging on, sometimes picking up the pace a little before realising how much Tiny was struggling to keep up and slowing once more. 

_He’s worried_ Tiny realised, fur prickling. _Of course he is. If his owners get home before him, he could be kicked out._ The idea was nauseating; Jake, who had saved him, helped him, living on the streets as one of those starving street cats. _He’s risking it all for you. All because you were stupid and fell for Ruby’s stupid lies. _

“I’m sorry” he croaked out, dropping the tooth he was holding carefully in his teeth. “If you want to go home, you can go.” 

Jake looked baffled, as if he had no idea where this was coming from “why would I do that?” He meowed, confused “I thought you agreed to meet Talltail.” 

“I did- I do! But- but you can just give me the directions. You don’t have to come.” 

Now he just looked hurt. “Do you- do you not want me to come?” He asked carefully, round ears flopping down. 

_What are you doing, you’re just making him sad!_ “I do! But if you want to” he turned back in the direction they came “if you want to go home and stay with your Owners, I-I wouldn’t blame you.” 

For a long moment, Jake just stared at him, not saying anything. The silence was heavy and expectant, and made Tiny’s fur prickle as he waited for him to say _something_. Finally, Jake crouched down so that they were at the same height, practically pressed into the ground as he stared at Tiny expectantly.

_Oh!_ Tiny leaned in as well, and touched noses with the tom, a thing he had seen other cats do before, a sign of trust. “I want to travel with you” Jake said at last “my Owners will be worried, yes, but this isn’t the first time I disappeared on them. This time won’t be as long either.” Jake's tail wrapped around Tiny's, practically engulfing him with his thick fur.

Tiny tried to say “oh, okay then” but it came out small and muffled as he spat out a piece of soggy ginger fur. Jake just laughed and seemed to get the message, running his tail down Tiny’s spine with an almost fond look before they set off once more. 

* * *

The further they travelled, the less cats began to appear. “Not many Housefolk live here” Jake explained to him “most leave here when nightfall comes, so there aren’t many cats.” 

_Housefolk are dumb,_ Tiny thought. _They had all this land and they only used some of it during the daytime? Weird._

This meant they had to wait until nightfall to go back into the Housefolk place for food. Tiny opened his mouth and breathed in, hoping to smell something edible even as his muzzle crinkled at the acrid smell permeating through the streets. Beside him, Jake did the same as they wove through paths, the faint sound of Carriers fading away in the distance. 

The sound of footsteps had them both backtracking, hiding behind a huge green box that smelt awful. “I thought you said they would leave” Tiny hissed. 

“I thought they would” Jake said, tense “this one must be late or-” he stopped, putting his nose in the air and taking a deep breath in. 

“What?” Tiny whipped around to face him properly “what is it? What’s wrong?” 

Not answering, Jake instead leaped up on top the green box. Tiny made to follow him, but was too small to leap that high and instead settled for watching the tom paw around the top of it, looking for something. Finally, he placed his paws on the very edge of the box, and with a grunt, lifted the top off of it. 

“Woah” Tiny muttered, eyes wide. Jake didn’t acknowledge he had spoken, instead leaping into the box, to Tiny’s alarm, causing him to leap to his paws with a startled “ _wait_!” He uselessly batted the sides of the box, it’s exterior too hard and shiny for him to get a proper grip. 

With a **clang** , the top opened up again, and something, not Jake, fell out. Tiny stared at the fleshy thing for a moment, before taking a cautionary deep breathe in. He immediately recognised the smell; _bacon!_ It had a slightly sour smell around the edges, but other than that, it was just like how it was back at Mama’s Home! 

Silently, Jake jumped down beside him, and Tiny was distracted from his growling stomach to recoil away from him. “Yeugh! You stink!” 

Jake looked down at his coat, which, while not grimy, gave off a smell that was almost as bad as the fumes around them. Then, quickly, he pulled Tiny in, rubbing him against his foul smelling coat. “Hey!” Tiny yelped, twisting around “no fair!” He lightly batted the tom on the head, and he dropped him, pretending to stagger back. 

Tiny chose that moment to pounce on him, little claws digging uselessly into Jake’s fluff as the older cat _mrowed_ in amusement, dancing around with Tiny clinging onto his back. “Oh no!” He wailed, shaggy tail swishing from side to side “whatever shall I do?” Tiny only had a brief warning before Jake had risen up onto his back legs, making the kit squeak and grip on harder. 

“I think I may fall!” Jake teased. 

“No, no, _don’t_ ” Tiny squealed, feeling giddy and light in spite of himself. 

In the end, Jake didn’t fall, but he did shake himself, sending Tiny stumbling to the ground, where he tried to tackle the older tom. “I’ll get you for that!” He said, standing on his hind legs as he attempted to push Jake back. 

Jake, who had yet to move, just yawned dramatically and sat down “I can see that” he said, whiskers twitching. 

Tiny opened his mouth to challenge his boldness, then snapped it shut as he scented something new. _Another cat . . ._

He dropped to all fours once more, and turned his head this way and that, trying to pick up where the scent was coming from. Jake, picking up something was wrong, also tasted the air, only for his head to snap around in a specific direction; behind them. 

It took Tiny a second to realise what he was looking at; the cat’s black patches blended in with the shadows so well. But it was the white part of his coat that eventually revealed him; a huge black and white tom with bright green eyes, staring out at the two of them. 

“Hello” Jake said, friendly but cautious “I didn’t see you there.” 

“I didn’t know there were other Housecats here” Tiny piped up, seeing the blue collar wrapped around the huge toms neck. Jake shot him a warning look, to his surprise. “What, is that supposed to be a secret?” He whispered, but the ginger tom just shook his head and moved to block Tiny’s view, to his annoyance. 

He couldn’t see the cat anymore, but he could hear him, the sound of his paws against the hard ground as he neared them. Jake’s fur spiked up, making him appear even bigger than he already was. He jumped when he heard the other cat speak, much closer than he had been expecting “my name” he rumbled “is Bone. And this is my territory.” 

Tiny blinked, confused. “But you’re a Housecat?” He said, kneading the ground with his paws. 

The other tom hissed, and Jake made a sudden move, jolting forwards slightly as his ears tucked tight against the back of his head. “I am not Housecat” he spat, and finally he moved around Jake so that Tiny could see him; a huge hulking tom with a smooth coat stretched tight over muscles. “My name is Bone, and _you_ are trespassing on _my_ land.” 

“I thought this place belonged to Housefolk?” Tiny mumbled to himself, quiet. 

But not quiet enough. Bone whipped around and batted Tiny, claws sheathed and light. He still let out a yowl of shock, landing on his back, before struggling quickly back to his feet, back arched as he backed away as quickly as he could. _Not again, not again, **stupid, stupid.** _

A ginger paw scooped him up, and he panicked, trying to squirm his way out until he was dumped unceremoniously before a bristling Jake. The ginger cat looked down at him for a moment, assessing, making sure he was alright, before he looked back up at Bone. 

“Okay then” Jake said, calm, before raking his claws down Bone’s muzzle. 

Tiny let out a hiss, shocked, as Bone reared back, blood staining his silky white coat. Immediately unsheathing his claws, he swung at Jake, to Tiny’s horror. They didn’t pierce flesh, instead getting caught in Jake’s long fur. Bone growled and ripped out a chunk of it, causing Jake to yowl and Tiny to shriek as he pinned his friend to the floor. 

Blood welling up from where Bone’s claws were digging into him, Jake spat up at the tom, furious, but Tiny could see the fear there as well. He saw it because he had been in this situation before. The terror, the shame . . His claws tried to dig into the ground but it was too hard. 

The terror from watching the fight, his helplessness at the world around him . . . all of it was replaced from a warm feeling, an _uncomfortably_ warm feeling; fire had made it's way into his veins. 

He never wanted to see _anybody_ that scared ever again. He never wanted to **be** that scared _ever again._

Tiny leaped, pouncing on Bone’s back, small, stubby claws digging into his skin. Startled, he blinked and shook the small kit off without a second thought-he was too light to do any actual damage, but it gave Jake the opportunity to kick the tom off of him and dazed, Bone was sent stumbling back. 

He almost thought Jake was going to attack him now that he was caught of guard but he didn’t. Instead he quickly picked up Tiny and ran back the direction they had come from, leaving Bone, and their meal, behind. 

* * *

Jake’s fur didn’t lie flat even after they reached the path, and Bone was out of sight, nor did he loosen his grip on Tiny’s scruff. He tried kicking his back paws, to encourage the tom to set him down, but he did no such thing, and eventually Tiny admitted defeat, slumping over. 

So he was, understandably, caught off guard when Jake dropped him unceremoniously beside a thorn bush and whirled on him, furious. “What was that?!” He spat, back arching. Tiny stared up at him, eyes wide “you shouldn’t have jumped in like that” he continued, not letting Tiny say anything “you could have been injured!” 

“So could you!” Tiny shot back, looking at the missing clump of fur on Jake’s shoulder. 

“I can handle myself, you know.” 

“Oh, is that what ‘handling it’ looks like?” He fired back, annoyed by the entire conversation “he was going to kill you! I wasn’t just going to let that happen!” The fire from the fight still roared in his ears, making him rock back and forth on his toes, almost drowning out the hunger pangs from not having eaten since that morning. 

Jake looked like he was going to say something, but then just shook his head and stomped off. Tiny watched him go for a couple of minutes, before scurrying on after him, making sure to stay behind him. _Ungrateful oaf_ , he thought, pelt spiked up in irritation. 

* * *

The houses had given away to grass- long and stretching high above Tiny’s head, nothing like the grass back in the Housefolk Place, or even the forest-before Jake said anything again. “I _am_ grateful, you know” he commented, shouldering through the stems, leaving a path for Tiny to follow “what you did was very brave.” 

_Brave!_ Tiny felt a small thrill run through his body. Nobody had ever called Tiny **brave** before. _IfRuby and Socks could see me now._ “Thank you” is what he says in return, unsure of what else to say. 

“I mean it” Jake turned so that they were face to face “risking your life to save someone else; it’s the kind of thing a clan cat would do. You should be proud.” 

Tiny tried to nod as solemnly as possible as his pelt warms, the fire from earlier a small ember now. “I made myself promise to be brave, and Mama _always_ said to keep your promises” he squeaks. He doesn’t know how to mention how scared he had been when he was the one being attacked, in the forest, without sounding like a huge baby, and that was the other half of his promise so he just keeps silent. 

Jake looks prouder of him than Tiny himself, and he bends down to touch his nose very quickly before turning and bounding away, hopefully towards some food, and as he races to keep up, Tiny wonders why he took being compared to a clan cat as a _compliment_. 

* * *

The hunger is starting to get to Tiny now-making him drag his paws and slow down. Jake is sympathetic, but still insists they must keep going. “Talltail will make sure you don’t starve” he had assured him. “He isn’t fond of kits dying on him.” 

Tiny eyed a bird that was on a tree, beside the dirt path they were now travelling down. “Don’t clan cats catch their food?” He asked. 

Jake looked at him from the corner of his eyes before responding “yes, they do, but we’re entering clan territories now, and it would be best not to antagonise the cats who will be taking you in.” 

“Might be taking me in” Tiny corrected absently “I’m still not sure about all this.” Although it did seem like a waste to come this far and just turn back, and for what? A life like Bone’s? Then what Jake actually said registered “wait, antagonise? I thought you said they were nice.” 

The tom’s tail flicked impatiently. “Not all clan cats are evil, you know” he snapped “they’re cats, like you or me. Some are good, and some are bad. But having two” he rolled his eyes skyward “Kittypets steal their food will not help us at all.” 

Tiny grumbled, but kept walking. He could see the forest getting closer with every pawstep he took, and the smells were starting to overwhelm him. The air was so . . . fresh out here, so clean. While he wasn’t exactly aching to enter the forest, the faint smell of pine made something in him relax, remembering the pine tree one of Mama’s neighbours had had. 

The sound of water made him turn his head to see what could only be a river, and he actually faltered a little. The biggest body of water he had been before today was a puddle. _It’s huge!_ He thought, eyeing the long, winding water path in awe. _And so pretty_ , he added when he saw the way it sparkled, even in this slightly damp weather. 

They actually got to cross the river, as the path went over it, and Tiny got to see how deep it was; like a wound in the earth itself had been filled with water. _I’m seeing things that Ruby and Socks never will_ , he realised, tail flicking excitedly. 

After crossing, Jake veered sharply to the left, going off the path in favour of the grass. Surprised at the sudden change, Tiny hurried after him, pausing when he caught the smell of cats. They smelt of stone and grass, sharp enough to make his nose twitch before carrying on. _A lot of cats had been here,_ he realised, with nervousness beginning to settle into him again. 

He had thought they were going to go further, but after walking for just a few minutes more, Jake stopped and sat down. Tiny gave him a bewildered glance. “Talltail told me they have cats patrolling their borders” he explained, stretching out his front paws “won’t take them that long to find us.” 

_That’s what I’m worried about_ , Tiny bit his tongue to keep saying, remembering Jake’s words about how each clan cat was different, just like they were. The encounter with Bone sat heavy in his mind, reminding him that even Housecats were capable of violence. _And Jake has yet to steer me wrong_ , he told himself, willing his fur to settle back down. 

He tried to distract himself from his rising trepidation, looking around the area that apparently belonged to Windclan. It was quiet here, much quieter than back in the Housefolk Place, and he was able to hear the sound the wind makes when it runs through the tall grass; a soft whoosh-whoosh sound that reminded him of his mother’s tongue. 

It almost made him forget that, like with Bone and Tigerpaw, he was trespassing onto some dangerous cat’s territory. He gave Jake another glance, but he was just calmly grooming himself, _like it’s going to do much_ , Tiny noted, taking in Jake’s fluff. He couldn’t imagine having That Much Fur. 

The sound of pawsteps rushing towards them made Jake look up from his paw, and Tiny wished that the mean tom who lived next to his Mama had taught him some of those curses. 

Thankfully, it wasn’t a full-grown cat that came running up to him, but a young she-cat, not much older than Tiny was. She skidded to a stop in front of them, green eyes wide as she took in the two strange cats with collars, one of which had a dog’s tooth dug into it. 

“Um” Tiny said eloquently, looking up at Jake, who seemed just as surprised by the sight of the silver tabby. 

“Runningpaw!” Another silver cat, this one a tom, and significantly older, came into view. He didn’t even seem to notice the two at first, focused on scolding the younger cat, Runningpaw. “What have I told you about running off?” 

Runningpaw looked cowed, paws shuffling under the older cat’s ire. Something in Tiny relaxed at seeing the she-cat react so similarly to how he or his siblings would have under their mother’s scoldings. 

“Hello!” Jake said, rising to his paws. 

The tom barely spared him a glance, just a quick glare and a growled “you’re on our territory. Leave, Kittypet.” Tiny blinked, having only heard Jake use that term before. 

“But Tornear, look, he has a dog’s tooth in his collar!” Runningpaw whispered loudly, nodding at Tiny. _Oh_. He hadn’t considered it, but he supposed the tooth did look kind of cool, even if it did make it hard to breath. 

Tornear squinted his eyes at Tiny, who shifted, uncomfortable. “Where did you get that?” 

“He picked it up after I shoved a dog onto the Thunderpath for trying to eat him” Jake said, cheerful. 

Tiny glanced over at him. _Thunderpath? What?_

Tornear **stared**. “What.” He said. 

Jake carried on as if he hadn’t heard him “anyways, we’re here to talk to Talltail.” 

“ _What_ ” he repeated, with great feeling. 

“Oh, do you mean Tallstar?” Runningpaw piped up from beside Tornear. “Why do you wanna meet him?” 

Jake's eyes widened “he’s leader now?” He purred, looking thrilled. “That’s great!” _Leader?_

Tornear paused, and Tiny felt a brief flicker of sympathy for the guy. This was probably not how he saw his day going. “If you want us to leave, we can leave” he said quickly, and Jake gave him a warning look. 

"We’re not leaving; we had a deal” then he turned back to the two Windclan cats “we need to speak to-Tall _star_ " he meowed, earnest “and we’re not leaving until that happens.” Then, as if to prove a point, he _sat down._

Tiny stared at him in horror, before turning back to the stunned cats. These were trained, wild, cats. There was no way he could take them if they decided to attack them both. While the two had their gazes fixed on Jake, he carefully unsheathed his claws. _That doesn’t mean I can’t try._ The idea of trying to take them on was incredibly unappealing, _but I owe it to Jake._

After a pause that seemed to drag on forever, Tornear turned to his younger friend. “Runningpaw” he sighed “go to camp and tell Tallstar there are some Kittypets who want to talk to him.” She gave them one last curious glance before bolting away, and Tiny watched her go, impressed by how fast she was moving, a grey blur. 

There was no conversation between the three. Tiny snuck glances at Tornear when he thought he wasn’t watching. He seemed grumpy, but at least he wasn’t attacking them, which is more than he could say for Tigerpaw and Bone. 

He wondered why Tigerpaw and Runningpaw both had ‘paw’ in their name. Was it a clan thing? 

He wondered why Tornear was called Tornear when his ears were intact. Would it be rude to ask? It felt kind of rude. 

. . . well now he actually wanted Tallstar to show up, just so that this awkward silence would be gone and he could get it over with. 

At least, that’s what he _thought_ , until Runningpaw came back, with a black and white cat lopping along beside her. Tornear turned to acknowledge the newcomer, as did Jake, rising back to his paws with a voice so warm that Tiny half thought he had lived up to his coat colour and burst into flames. 

The tom, a lanky, short furred black and white cat, had the same awe-struck expression on his face. “Jake?” He meowed, eyes wide. 

Beside him, Jake trembled. “Hello Tallstar” he said, “we need to talk.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My hand hurts from typing so much 
> 
> I've been thinking about making the clans a little more distinct from eachother. In canon, it's claimed that the clans are too different from eachother to ever be united, but that's not really true. They have the same religion, customs, traditions, laws, beliefs. The only difference between them is territories and whether or not they like to swim.
> 
> So I thought that maybe I could do A Thing where each clan has it's own little traditions and customs, so that they're not just 'Thunderclan but fast' 'Thunderclan but can swim' 'Thunderclan but are ee-vil'
> 
> What say you guys??


	5. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tiny gets another dad, another name and another mom

“You came back”  Tallstar breathed, eyes wide as he remained frozen in place.  Runningpaw was unrepentantly staring between the two toms, curious, and even  Tornear looked surprised.

“You know this cat?” He asked, tail flicking towards Jake, who just ignored him and stepped past.

“I did” he said, voice  rumbling with a barely- suppressed purr. “I need to- I need to ask for a favour.”

Tornear let out a scoff of disbelief, but it was drowned out by  Tallstar’s immediate “ _anything_.” The two clan cats blinked at their leader, surprised, but he was already pushing on “what do you need?”

“ Well . .” Jake hesitated “it would only be a  favour if he agreed to it as well, but I brought this one” his large tail swished towards the forgotten Tiny on the edge of the little group “because he needs somewhere to go. I was wondering if you would be able to-”

“ **Jake**.”  Tallstar had been staring at Jake for the entirety of this conversation, but when Tiny had been pointed out, he had briefly glanced towards him-only to immediately double back and gape at the young cat. He scanned Tiny, from head to tail, staring extra hard at the markings on his chest and muzzle, before glancing away. “Can I have a _word_ with you?” He asked tightly. “In private?”

Tiny shot Jake an alarmed look, but to his credit, Jake shook off his surprise very quickly, bending down to run his tongue over  Tiny’s head with a  murmured “I’ll be right back” before lumbering away with the lanky cat a safe distance away.

“Wait!” Tiny cried, almost scampering after his friend, but Tornear just shook his head at him.

“We won’t hurt you” he said, correctly guessing  Tiny’s worries. “We don’t attack scraps with legs.”

Tiny looked down at his small paws, then back up at them, ears flat with annoyance. “ _So_. . ”  Runningpaw dragged out the word “what’s this about you and a dog?”

* * *

“I know how this sounds, but your Clan let rogues pass through it all the time, and he has nowhere else to go, Tall, and-”

“He’s your son.”

Jake blinked, jaw hanging open.  Tallstar was still staring at Tiny, who seemed to be in the middle of telling  Tornear and  Runningpaw a story, though he couldn’t hear it from here. “He has your markings”  Tallstar continued on when it was clear that Jake wasn’t going to contribute anytime soon, casting a sharp amber eye towards him. “Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”

“No!” Jake blurted, caught between terror of having been found out, and delight because even after all this time,  Tallstar still _recognised his markings_. “I, uh, had a brief ‘thing’ with his mother Quince” he explained,  embarrassed .

Tallstar’s expression didn’t change, remaining flat and stoic. “I see” he said blankly.

“It wasn’t like that!” Jake  groaned, ears pinned flat against his head. “Look-after you  left I started to miss you, alright?” He said, staring down at his paws. “Like, a lot. I was wandering around a lot, feeling sorry for myself, when I met Quince. She wanted kits, I was lonely-” he broke off, drawing shapes in the sandy dirt with one claw. “I didn’t even know I had a son until last night.”

When he glanced up,  Tallstar’s expression had melted, into something softer. “You missed me?” He whispered.

_ Why am I in love with this idiot? _ “Yes, I missed you!” Jake declared. “How could I not? I kept expecting you to show up one day around my house. Actually, when I saw him” he nodded towards his son “I thought he was you.”

Tallstar tilted his head at the black and white short furred cat. “He does bear a striking resemblance, I suppose” he said at last.

Jake nodded enthusiastically “I know, right! For a brief second, after I got a good look at him and  realised it wasn’t you I thought-” he cut himself off, clearing his throat, but  Tallstar’s expectant look didn’t go away. “You said same-sex mates can have kits in the Clans” he blurted out, and immediately wanted to smash his head in with the nearest rock.

Tallstar’s eyes widened, and he whipped around fully to stare at the kit. The little black cat was suddenly aware of eyes on him, and he turned to regard the leader. He kept talking, but his ice-blue gaze was fixed firmly on the older tom. The same eyes were the things that gave him away as not being  Tallstar’s son. “Why would my kit be a Kittypet?” Is what he asks at last, voice strangled.

Jake shrugs. “You told me that sometimes Clan cats leave to become  Kittypets . I – _briefly_ \- assumed that was what happened.”

“ . . Why did you bring him here, Jake?”

“The short answer? He has nowhere else to go; there’s no  guarantee he’ll get owners, and I’m not letting him be a _ street cat _ ” his lip curls back in disgust “and even if he does get owners, I don’t trust some random stranger with my son.”

“And you trust  Windclan ?”  Tallstar asked quietly. “I know the stories they spread about clan cats in the  Twolegplace , you know. Do you trust my clan to raise your son?”

Jake winced. “That’s actually  Tiny’s decision , we made a deal that I would take him here, but if he doesn’t want to stay, he doesn’t have to. He had a, uh, _bad_ run in with a Clan cat-don't ask” he rushed to add on when his kind-of sort-of mate narrowed his eyes in confusion “it’s not worth it, and you’ll just be mad at one of the Clans for a while.”  _ Though it would be nice to see the little rat hearts punished.  _ “Point is that he’s a little scared of you lot right now.”

“But if he agrees?  Of course I trust  Windclan to raise my son. They raised you, didn’t they?”

Tallstar looked lost for words for a moment, eyes wide. “ Starclan , I have missed you” is what he says at last, closing the space between them to shove himself under Jake’s chin. Jake breathed in  Tallstar’s scent, sharp and open in ways the  Housefolk place never was.

* * *

Tiny had just gotten to the part where they had run into Bone when Tallstar and Jake approached the group once more. To his surprise, instead of addressing his fellow wild cats, he had turned his attention onto Tiny. “May I speak to you?” He asked, voice low and soft. Tiny hesitated for a moment, but, remembering how Jake had canoodled up to the scarred cat, decided he couldn’t be all that bad and nodded.

A part of him noticed how disappointed Runningpaw and Tornear seemed to be when he had to cut his story short, and the younger cat all but pounced on Jake, either for him to finish the story, or explain what exactly is going on between him and Tallstar.

Tiny thought it was kind of obvious.

The grass was shorter when they stopped, not like back at Mama’s house, but he could actually see a couple of whisker-lengths in front of him.  Tallstar sat down, perfectly still as Tiny choose to remain standing with a distance between them.

Tallstar didn’t say  anything about it, instead choosing to eye Tiny thoughtfully for a moment, before asking “what’s your name?”

Tiny lifted his chin, bristling. “I don’t have a name” he said, narrowing his eyes at the tom.

To his surprise,  Tallstar didn’t seem to find anything wrong with that, just nodding his thoughtfully before he curled his tail- _and I can see why he was called Talltail_ \- around his paws. “Do you _want_ to join my clan?”

It was a question Tiny had been expecting, yet it still managed to  surprise him.  _ I didn’t think he would actually go for it. Then again, I didn’t think he had Jake were dating. The power of seduction goes a long way. _

Tallstar tilted his head at him, awaiting an answer, and Tiny realised he had no idea what to say.

_ Do I want to go back home? _ He shivered at the thought. He tried to imagine coming back home, and living out his days as  a . . what had they called it? A Kittypet? Spending the rest of his life in one place. He would say this about his journey here; it had been eye-opening. He got to see so many things, things he never would have had the chance to had he not left home that day.  _ One good thing to come out of all of this.  _

_And going back home and becoming a Housecat is the lesser of two evils,_ he reminded himself. The idea of becoming a street cat, starving and  hungry . . He swallowed, shifting nervously. No, that wouldn’t do at all.

“What-” he paused, faltering as he tried to think “what would joining your Clan mean?”

Tallstar’s eyes brightened, pleased. “Ah, a thinker. Good.  Starclan knows we need some of those these days” that last part seemed to be directed at Runningpaw, who was too far away to hear them. He sighed and turned back to Tiny “if you join my Clan, it would not be easy” he warned “most Clan cats look down on Kittypets. You would have to prove yourself to them, more than once. You would be trained how to fight and hunt, to provide for your fellow cat. It’s not exactly the safest thing you could do.”

Tiny squinted at him. “Are you _trying_ to talk me out of it?” He demanded, and  Tallstar let out a purr of amusement.

“It is not exactly the safest thing you could do” he repeated “but it will be the most freeing. It will be hard at first, but they-my clan I mean- they will come to trust you, and care for you. You will learn all about our world. And, if I know Jake, you will be” he stared at him for such a long time that Tiny felt uncomfortable “amazing” he said at last. “You will be _amazing_. I'm sure of it.”

_ Freeing. Amazing. _ Tiny felt a thrill run through his body, making his fur stand on end. If he joined  Windclan , cats would be suspicious of him due to his heritage, he would have to learn how to kill things, he would probably be hurt and yet-

He remembers how he felt when he faced down Bone, a feeling of determination and anger and focus. I will never be that scared again.

He could have cats, not his kin, to look out for and to look out for him. To trust him and play with him.  _ They’re going to harass you when they find out where you’re from _ , a part of him pointed out.

_ So what? _ Another shot back. We know how to deal with that.  _ Plenty of practice. _

He thought of warmth, of  familiarity over time. Of gaining cat’s respect through his actions. Of  Tigerpaw , somewhere in this forest right now, forgetting the cat that he almost killed. Of ‘you’ll never forget me’. Of becoming something unforgettable himself.

“I’ll do it” he told him.

* * *

The kit had seemed almost proud of his decision to join  Windclan . He swaggered back to the group,  Tallstar just a little bit behind him.  Tornear shot him a confused look, but  Tallstar just shook his head. 

Starclan , how was he going to explain this to the Clan?

One step at a time, he reminded himself, turning to Jake(!). “I believe you two will want to say goodbye to  each other” he acknowledged with a tipped head. Jake (Jake! He came back!) blinked once and turned to regard his son (son. **Woah**.), who had frozen, one paw raised above the ground.

“Goodbye?” He asked, tilting his head. “What for? Isn’t he coming too?”

(Oh please _ohpleaseohpleaseohplease_ -)

Jake dashed both of their hopes when he shook his heavy head. “I love my owners” he said sombrely “and I don’t think I would ever really be happy there, not like you could be.”

(You wouldn’t be happy with me?)

He bit down on the hurt; the moon long pain that had been there since he was a warrior.  _ That, more than anything, is why we could never be mates, _ he thought,  _ both of us are too loyal to  _ _ our _ _ homes. _

The black kit made no such attempts to hide his distress, and when Jake took a tiny step towards him, he dissolved completely. “Don’t go!” He  shouted, his words ruined by how he buried himself into Jake’s thick fur.  _ No, I will not be jealous of a kit. _ “Don’t go Jake, please don’t go!” Jake shot an alarmed look over his shoulder at Tallstar, who made no moves to help him.

_You’re decision. You comfort him._

In the end, Jake had to bodily push his son away, and he stared up at his father, his eyes wide and expression absolutely betrayed. “You’ll like it there, you’ll make all kinds of friends” Jake whispered, ignoring the audience “Tallstar will look after you. He looked after me once too.”

Well. Now  Tallstar felt bad about just watching this. 

“I-if you leave, I-I'll never forgive you ever” he threatened, voice wobbling.  Tallstar winced, taking in Jake’s shattered expression. _Oh Starclan, I should have left them do this in private._

“That’s okay” he  murmured , licking the top of his son’s head. “Because I’m not sorry.” He took a step back, away from his kin who flattened their ears and let out a pathetic mewl.

“ Tornear ”  Tallstar said, not looking away from the crestfallen tom and his son who would not look at him “would you please take the kit to our camp? I need to talk to Jake here.”

Runningpaw , who looked extremely awkward, immediately shot off in a burst of speed, while  Tornear quietly picked up the stiff kit, who struggled a bit when his paws left the ground. “Jake!” He yowled, front paws batting uselessly at the air as he was dragged further and further away.

He made his way over to the fluffy cat, who was still staring after his son with wide pale eyes. “Promise me” he croaked, claws sinking into the sandy soil “promise me you’ll care for him.”

Tallstar nodded. “As if he were my own” he swore solemnly. The ‘ _ I wish he was _ ’ was unspoken, but there all the same. Jake’s cold nose snuffled just behind his ear, and their tails twined together. When he thought they may one day reunite, this was not what he had in mind.

* * *

Tiny had long since stopped scrambling to get back to Jake, instead hanging limply in  Tornear’s grip as he skipped across the moor, his long legs eating the ground beneath him. Jake and  Tallstar were long since blurs in the distance, so close together it was hard to tell them apart.

_If he wasn’t going to stay for me, why wouldn’t he stay for Tallstar_ _?_ He asked desperately.

Had he made a mistake? He remembered Jake saying he needed to get home to his Owners, but he hadn’t really thought about it. _If I had chosen to go back to the_ _Housefolk_ _Place, I would be able to see him,_ he  realised . 

(Jake or freedom? Freedom or Jake?)

He said that he would make all sorts of new friends here, but how did he know?  _ He  _ was the only friend Tiny had ever had, and look what happened there!

_Something funny in the fact that I fled my old life because I was afraid of abandonment, and look where that got me,_ he thought, before  Tornear skidded to a halt, kicking up dirt as he stopped before two other cats.

One of them, a ginger tom, looked between Tiny and  Tornear for a moment before asking “what is that?”

The other, a brown tabby she-cat just gave him a look. “I think-now this is just a  _ guess _ , mind you, but I think it may be a kit.”

The tom scowled at her. “Yes, thank you  Mistmouse . What I meant is why do you have a  Kittypet kit in your mouth?”

“Where else am I going to put him?”  Tornear tried to say, but the effect was ruined since he was still holding Tiny, who remained silent in the face of these battle-scarred cat.

The two seemed alarmed when  Tornear shoved past the both of them, racing after him as the ground  underpaw turned to sand. “What are you doing?”  Mistmouse meowed, alarmed “why are you bringing a  Kittypet to camp?!”

“ Tallstar’s orders!”  Runningpaw , who had appeared from seemingly nowhere, chirped.

**“What?!”**

There was a small hollow in the earth, hidden away by gorse bushes and covered in sand. Cats of all ages were  laying about, grooming  each other or eating. At the sound of  Tornear’s voice, several looked up and stared at Tiny, surprised.

“Is that a  Kittypet ?” One asked, incredulous. More cats came out of dens, gaping at Tiny and  Tornear .

“Where did he-”

“Are you sure he’s-”

“Look at his collar-”

“Why was he-”

Tornear ignored all of this, weaving his way through the crowd and stopping before the biggest rock  Tiny had ever seen, dumping him down on the dusty sand with a squeak. Seeing more cats edge closer, Tiny took a step back, between  Tornear’s front paws.

The older cat frowned down at him, but made no move to stop him, or to comfort him. Tiny felt a pang. _ I miss Jake already, _ he  realised , miserable . 

“Why is he here-”

“Did you steal-”

** “Quiet!” ** Tallstar had returned. Tiny poked his head out to see him. His gaze was sad and his whiskers were drooping but he stood tall, tail raised high importantly. The cats quieted down, watching him as he made his way towards the boulder.

Leaping up onto the tall rock,  Tallstar called down “Let all cats old enough to run the moor gather around the Tall Rock for a clan meeting!” Another cat, this one a black tom, leaped onto a different part of the rock, a halfway point between the top and the ground below. Tiny let out a squeak upon seeing his twisted back leg .

_Is that what’ll happen to me?_

He snuck a brief glance around the camp, to the other cats, but while they were battle scarred, none had the sort of injuries the black tom did. He glanced up to meet  Tornear’s angry gaze, guessing what he was thinking, and he refocused on Tallstar. His pale amber eyes seemed to scan the huge crowd of cats, before settling back on Tiny once more. "Windclan" he said "will be taking in an outsider as one of it's own."

Tiny expected there to be an outcry of sorts, but instead only the wind itself seemed to howl it's disagreement. The surrounding cats just gaped up at their leader, uncomprehending. Even the cat on the rock seemed stunned, staring at Tallstar, then following his gaze back to Tiny, where his green eyes narrowed slightly.

Tallstar beckoned him forwards with his tail, and Tiny left the safety of Tornear's front legs, stepping out into the open for all to see. Hushed whispers ran through the cats at the sight of his collar, but he tried to ignore them as he made his way towards the base of the rock, stepping awkwardly around cats who refused to move for him. Tallstar crouched down, peering over the top once he reached his location. "He will be a Windclan Warrior" he meowed firmly, tone brokering no argument.

But just because he didn't want the others to argue with him didn't mean they didn't. A sudden outpour from the cats standing behind Tiny, but he didn't turn around, instead focusing in on the leader on the rock.

"-a Kittypet! Spoiled, pampered little-"

"-don't want him here-"

"-run at the first sight of trouble-"

"Won't even face us!"

A grey she-cat, dappled with blue eyes, shouldered her way to the front of the crowd, rounding on them almost immediately. "Shut up!" She roared. "All of you, he's a kit for Starclan's sake!" Before she took her place beside Tiny, a tail on his back. "It's okay" she encouraged "they're just being dumb" she took a deep breath before glaring at her Clanmates "honestly, you lot" she scolded "acting like Shadowclan, scaring this poor kit."

Tallstar, who was glaring at the assembled cats, turned to Tiny "you told me you didn't have a name" he said, and judging by the whispering which one more picked up, this _was_ in fact uncommon.

"I don't" Tiny said, pressing himself closer to the grey she-cat.

"Well, you can't be a Clan cat without a name, now can you?" Tallstar's look turned contemplative. "Step forwards."

Tiny did so, letting out a muted squeal when Tallstar threw up sand upon landing just in front of him. Crouching down in front of Tiny, Tallstar tilted his head . . . _and bit down on his neck._

There were gasps of shock through the crowd, and the she-cat made a sudden move forwards, alarmed, but Tiny just stayed completely still, not daring to do anything more than tremble in place, nerves still shot. _Jake trusts him and I trust Jake,_ he chanted to himself. Then, with an audible **click** , his collar fell off, landing at his paws. 

_It's off!_

_**I'm free!** _

No more Owners or Ruby or Socks or Mama- he had no more ties to his old life any more. Even, he realised, Jake was no longer here. The thought made him very sad. It also made him very happy.

Tallstar touched noses with Tiny apologetically, before backing away, giving him space. "From now on" he vowed "your name shall be Smokekit. May Starclan guide your path-and your paws" he added.

A muted chorus of "Smokekit! Smokekit!" rebounded through the hollow and Tiny felt a tingle in his paws that wasn't from leftover nerves. _Smokekit!_ He looked down at his coat. _Fair enough, I suppose._

"Ashfoot" the grey she-cat, who was loudly and cheerfully calling Smokekit's name as she made her way towards him, stopped to turn and look at her leader "I suppose you'll want this one then?"

Ashfoot let out a deep purr. "Our names _are_ very alike" she pointed out "that practically makes him mine." Tallstar let out a purr of amusement, before turning to Smokekit.

"I hope you know" he told him sincerely "that I for one, am very happy that you are here." Confused, Smokekit bowed his head towards him, grateful that one cat at least wanted him here. "Give him the tour then Ashfoot" he said, bounding away, sand kicking up in his wake.

"C'mon Smokekit" she said "Morningflower's gonna _love_ you." She paused, staring at Smokekit's collar for a moment, before scooping the dog's tooth up. "Here you go" she said, dropping it in front of him "you went on quite the journey to get here. This is your reward." She watched Smokekit grip it carefully in his mouth for a moment, before skittering off. "Let's go meet the terrors."

* * *

The terrors turned out to be Ashfoot's three kits; Waspkit, Rapidkit and Eaglekit. They haven't even opened their eyes, but already they're flopping around, trying to navigate this strange world. Smokekit, who had never seen any kit other than himself or his siblings, is fascinated by them.

Morningflower did, in fact, love him. The heavily pregnant Queen lit up when he entered the den, wasting no time asking all about him and giving Smokekit her full attention. 

Both Clan cats seemed horrified when he told them what happened in the forest, and later the dog. "That Jake sounds like a really great cat!" Morningflower meowed approvingly. "Very brave of him!"

Smokekit's eyes narrowed. "No. He's a coward!" He hissed, tail lashing. Both the Queens had stared at him, perplexed, but said nothing more, changing the subject to whatever dumb thing Rapidkit had done that day.

The floor of the den, soft and covered in moss and feathers, had more than enough space for Smokekit, so, after watching Morningflower carefully, he constructed his own nest in one of the corners, away from the two Queens. It felt cold and empty without anyone to share it with.

His dog's tooth was carefully placed so that he wouldn't roll on it in his sleep as he clambered in. Despite the late hour, he could hear the hustle and bustle of the Clan cats outside, and the idea of going outside to face them was terrifying.

Ignoring the two she-cats, he wrapped his tail over his muzzle and tried to sleep.

_He was back under the Tall Rock once more, cats surrounding him, glaring at him as he cowered under their gaze, distant hissing and snarling in his ears. Above him, Tallstar and Jake both stood, the expressions on their faces nothing short of disgust. "Won't you take him?" Jake asked, but with Sock's voice. "Nobody else wants him."_

_Tallstar snorted "well, we sure don't." He said with Ruby's voice. "We have no need for weak cats."_

_The hissing and snarling grew louder still, and the cats melted away, leaving only a brown tabby and a huge, hulking dog. Panicked, he tried to climb the Tall Rock, but his paws kept slipping down it as the two predators neared. "Jake!" He cried. "Help me!"_

_Jake, who was now alone at the top of the rock, looked down at him, then shook his head, melting away like all the others had._

"Smokekit!"

Smokekit's eyes snapped open, to see his mother standing in front of him. _Mama?_ Then his eyes adjusted.

"You were dreaming" Ashfoot told him, voice low so as not to awaken the sleeping Morningflower. "Are you alright?" Smokekit's breathing was tense and broken, chest heaving as he tried to suck in more air. _Not really_. Ashfoot seemed to be aware of this as she just said "copy me, alright?" Before sucking in a huge breath. He tried to copy, and got a very shaky inhale. She just nodded encouragingly. "That's okay. And out" she watched as he did so.

He started to feel a little better at least, with the concerned blue eyes watching over him, yet he still half expected Jake to step through the entrance, bright green eyes focused on nothing else but him. _Jake's gone, remember?_ He told himself bitterly, _he left you_.

Smokekit's ears flattened, as if to try and shut those thoughts out, before curling up into a ball once more. "Uh, no" Ashfoot said, no longer even trying to whisper. Morningflower twitched but otherwise did nothing. "You're sleeping in my nest tonight. Come on."

She turned and marched away, as if expecting Smokekit to just follow her. Instead, he just sat up in his nest, annoyed "why would I do that?" He hissed, making no effort to move beyond that.

"Because you're my responsibility, you're a kit, you had a nightmare, you're in a new environment, you no longer have your mother and I am a mother" Ashfoot rattled off, not even pausing for breath.

Smokekit stared at her for a moment before huffing "I do _not_ miss my Mama."

Ashfoot just looked over her shoulder as she settled back into her nest. "Get in here. Now." Something in her tone-similar to the one Mama had used on him when he was being particularly stupid- had him up and moving towards her nest before his brain had even registered it. He was careful not to crush the three younger kits when settling in, and pointedly ignored Ashfoot's smug purr as he did so.

"Not a word" he warned her.

"Of course. Goodnight, Smokekit."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was like pulling teeth-I kept rewriting things because it never felt right. Still doesn't, but better to just rip the bandaid off. Tallstar and Jake did talk more, but I'm sad to say it's for their ears only
> 
> What else could he have been called? Smoke and Fire, theme naming! Not sure how Ashfur got involved but hey, theme naming (and Ashfur canonically does have kits other than Crowfeather, they just don't ever get mentioned besides a brief naming of Eaglekit. I took matters into my own hands and gave them names.)
> 
> I wanted Tiny's introduction to be sort of an opposite to Firepaw's. Firepaw was offered a place in Thunderclan the first chance he got, and the clan was okay with him joining after he attacked Longtail. Tiny is younger here, and nobody is going to suggest a kit fight a warrior. He has had a bad run in with the Clan Cats before, and is understandably scared of them. Having a near death experience will do that to you. He also canonically has nightmares from Tigerpaw's attack.
> 
> And yes, same sex cats can have kits in this. How? Magic Starclan bullshit, try not to think too hard about it.


	6. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Misunderstandings- and gossip- abound

"What was that?” Demanded Deadfoot, bursting into Tallstar’s den. Tallstar, who was curled up in his nest, sighed. 

“Not a word.” 

“No. No, you know what? We are _going_ to have _words_ ” he glanced over his shoulder for any eavesdroppers, before crouching low, so that he was only a mouselength away from Tallstar’s face. “I repeat; what” he hissed “was that?” 

The leader’s eyes narrowed. “I am Clan leader, don’t forget, my word is law. And if I want to bring in an outsiders like Heatherstar did, then I can bring in outsiders. You forget yourself, Deadfoot.” 

“I forget myself?” Deadfoot repeated, incredulous. “ _You_ **forgot** about _me_. You never even thought to ask anyone before you decided to permanently bring a _Kittypet_ into the _Clan_. Not even _Heatherstar_ did that.” 

“And then” he said, cutting off his leader before he could even start speaking “you decided to just drop this on our Clanmates without _any_ warning, scaring the kit-” 

“Smokekit.” 

“- _the kit,_ who now probably thinks we’re a group of savages, baying at a helpless kit like that. Why didn’t you send Tornear ahead on his own to explain things first? Or wait a couple of days after you made that announcement before bringing him in? Did you think this would be easy? Did you think they would just blindly accept this? Actually, better question” Deadfoot sucked in a huge breath “what, pray tell, the actual _dung_ were you thinking?” 

Tallstar didn’t look like Deadfoot’s mentor any longer, he looked like a kit who had just gotten a tongue lashing from his mother. “Smokekit’s father, Jake” he admitted “we, uh, knew eachother back when I had left the Clan, before I became a leader. He approached me, asking me to take his son in. He didn’t have anywhere else to go.” 

The deputy bristled, angry. _Didn’t have anywhere else to go?_ He thought. _Is that what qualifies for_ _Windclan_ _these days?_

“Deadfoot” he raised his head to meet his deputies gaze “Smokekit **belongs** in Windclan.” 

Deadfoot froze, staring down at the tom. _Surely , he couldn’t be suggesting. . ?_ Except he had already heard from Runningpaw what happened at the border, chattering excitedly about the ginger tom and his kit. A kit who looked nothing like him. 

He swallowed “ . .oh.” This, _this_ actually made a lot of sense, in a weird way. “Does he-uh, know about his parentage?” He asked, awkward. 

Tallstar looked contemplative. “I’m not sure” he told him “Jake never told me if he knew who his father was, but I’m not sure how to bring it up” his voice dropped to a whisper “he thinks he abandoned him.” 

Okay, _right_. 

“In that case, he does have a right to be here” he said faintly, pulling himself to his three good legs. “Do you want me to, uh, tell the Clan?” He asked, tail flicking towards the entrance. It would make things easier for the kit if other cats knew he had a right to be here, and as funny as it would be to see Tallstar tell them exactly who the kits parentage was, he wasn't a _complete_ ass.

“Of course, just” the leader grimaced “just be sure to leave some details out, alright?” 

Leaving the den, Deadfoot squinted in the direction of the nursery, looking for the short black and white coat of the kit, and comparing it to Tallstar’s short black and white coat. 

Tallstar has a _son_. 

Okay. 

Ha. 

Haha. 

_Hahahahahahahaha_ _._

Fox-dung. 

* * *

Smokekit awoke to the feeling of little paws pressing into his sides, kneading his fur. Jerking back, he glared sleepily across at the grey and white kit. The effect was ruined somewhat by how Waspkit’s eyes were still sealed shut, but it made him feel better. 

“Ah! You’re up, good” Ashfoot leaped to her paws, startling her kits. Crouching down to soothe them, she nonetheless addressed Smokekit when she said “we should probably head back out there, shouldn’t we?” 

Smokekit stared at the entrance way to the nursery, which showed a sliver of camp life. The sun shining through it made it seem warm and welcoming, but it had Smokekit flittering nervously from paw to paw. Sensing this, Ashfoot looked up. 

“Well you can’t stay here forever” she said, brusquely “it’s best if you got to meet your new Clanmates as soon as possible after all.” 

“Can’t I stay here with you guys?” Smokekit whined as he watched the kits flop about. 

Morningflower looked sympathetic but Ashfoot just looked stern. “Absolutely _not_. You can’t just avoid the cats you’ll be spending the rest of your life with. Now march.” 

_Rest of your life with_ , Smokekit thought with a shudder as he dutifully plodded outside, blinking in the harsh sunlight of the morning. The weather was far better than it was yesterday, with the clouds and the rain seemingly vanishing overnight. The wind was still deafening, however, howling along to it’s own tune, kicking up sand as it did. 

The Clan cats- the _other_ cats didn’t seem that affected by it, calling out cheerful greetings as they went about their day. A couple had only just entered the camp, and were carrying rabbits in their jaws like kits, placing them down in a pile that other cats chose from. 

Smokekit’s mouth watered at the smell, warm and moist and unlike the food he usually got at Mama’s, with it’s dry pellets that made him ache for water. 

“Oh, I’m sorry” Ashfoot’s voice startled him as she made her way towards him. “I forgot to get you anything last night. When was the last time you ate?” 

The fact that Smokekit had to think about it was concerning. He and- and Jake hadn’t been able to eat because Jake had wasted time and Bone came out and Jake made them leave- 

His claws dug into the soft sand. 

“Yesterday morning” he meowed at last, aware that Ashfoot was expecting some sort of answer. The grey she-cat sucked in a breath, and then strode towards the pile of prey, leaving Smokekit to scramble after her. Carefully she scanned the prey, before leaning in and picking up a small bird, placing it at Smokekit’s paws. 

“There” she said, satisfied “a wren for you.” 

Smokekit looked between her and the carcass, but she just gave an encouraging flick of her tail. Leaning in, he carefully took a bite of the wren's breast, letting out a muffled noise of amazement at the taste, fresh in ways the meat at the Housefolk Place had never been, and singing with flavour. 

“What is he doing?” 

The young voice had Smokekit swallow nervously, looking around. A white she-cat, almost as small as he was, was looking at him with revulsion in her green eyes, fur spiked along her spine.“The Warrior Code says not to waste food!" 

Ashfoot narrowed her eyes at the younger cat. “He’s eating it, not wasting it.” 

“He’s a _Kittypet_ ” she said slowly, like Ashfoot was particularly slow. 

Smokekit was lost, and glanced around the Clan anxiously. Most cats were ignoring them, but there were a few that were watching the proceedings, either with approval or distaste. One, a brown tabby, leaped to his paws, expression severe “Whitepaw!” He hissed, displeased. “You do not act like that, especially not in front of senior Warriors!” 

He shot an apologetic look at Ashfoot, who just bowed her head. “It’s quite all right, Onewhisker” she said stiffly “ _I’m_ not the one she needs to apologise to.” 

Whitepaw jolted when Onewhisker rounded on her once more. “She’s right” he said “apologise to Smokekit _this instant_.” 

“But he’s” 

“He’s a Clan cat, and a Clanmate and a kit” Onewhisker snapped “who just so happened to be minding his own business- something I think everyone should learn-” he directed at the spectators, who suddenly found better things to be doing “only to be set upon by a kit.” 

Whitepaw finally seemed aware of just how much trouble she was in, green eyes round as she twitched on the spot. “Uh” she meowed uncertainly. 

"Honestly, it's bad enough Kittypets seem to think we're savage creatures, we don't need to encourage the idea" Onewhisker huffed. "Apologise."

The young she-cat grit her teeth "I'm . . sorry, Smokekit" she said, in the most insinscere tone of voice ever. Smokekit, used to that kind of false apology, just shrugged and accepted it.

Onewhisker, on the other paw, frowned at her “don’t you have someplace you need to be?” He asked. 

“Oh, yes, of course!” Grateful for the out, Whitepaw scrambled away, though not before shooting Smokekit a baleful look as if this were somehow _his_ fault. 

Smokekit looked down at the half-eaten wren, feeling suddenly unsure. Picking up on this, Onewhisker sat down, nodding towards the prey “go on then, it’s yours” he shot a dark look over his shoulder at Whitepaw “I’m so sorry about her, by the way. I wish I could say our other Clanmates will be more mature-” 

“But you’d be lying” Ashfoot finished with a sigh. Onewhisker nodded along. “Honestly, I don’t know why so many cats are against outsiders joining us” she complained “it’s not as if it’s against the Warrior Code.” Onewhisker’s tail flicked in agreement. 

Smokekit glanced between the two, but neither elaborated. “What’s the Warrior Code?” He questioned, and the two older cats jumped, as if just remembering said outsider was in their vicinity. 

“The Warrior Code” Onewhisker began solemnly “is a code that all cats, Warriors or Medicine Cats- those are the healers, like Hawkheart and Barkface-” his tail flicked towards two toms sunbathing on the other side of the hollow “-must follow. Breaking the Code can result in punishment.” 

“Punishment?” Smokekit echoed as he took another bite of the wren. “What kind of punishment?” 

Ashfoot shrugged “depends” she said thoughtfully “on which part of the Code was broken, the reason for it, and, of course the clan.” 

“Shadowclan is the worst” Onewhisker confided “which is odd, because they’re the ones who break the Code the most often. They’re the ones who usually end up exiling or blinding a cat.” 

“Blinding!?” Smokekit coughed, choking on a piece of shrew. Ashfoot scooched forwards worriedly, but he managed to get himself back under control in time to say “what?!” 

Onewhisker met Ashfoot glare sheepishly. “Way to scar him for life” she muttered, then turned back to Smokekit “that usually only happens when a cat has done something awful, like repeatedly breaking the Code.” 

“Has Windclan ever blinded a cat?” Smokekit asked, afraid of the answer. 

In response, the two older cats dropped their gazes, staring at the sand under their paws. Smokekit felt his heart sink. _Oh no._

“We’re not Thunderclan” Ashfoot meowed at last, lifting her eyes to meet Smokekit’s without fear. “We do not give our cats light sentences for doing awful things.” 

“To answer your question; yes we have done it, but it hasn’t happened while I have been alive. I hope it never has to happen while you are.” 

The mood dampened, and Smokekit’s appetite spoiled, he stared down at the bird at his paws, trying to think. The idea that the Clan Cats would do this, would be willing to do this, was unfathomable to him. “Why would you do that?” His voice was as tiny as his old name. 

Ashfoot and Onewhisker exchanged looks; clearly they hadn’t been expecting to have a discussion about morals with a kit. “Sometimes” Onewhisker spoke slowly, carefully “sometimes there are cats who are dangerous, who kill other cats. And those cats have to go. But those cats may come back and try to hurt us, as revenge. We don’t kill Code Breakers, unless they have done something very, very, very bad, so instead we blind them.” 

“It’s for safety” Ashfoot meowed, serious. 

Smokekit tried to wrap his head around it, how cats that apparently fought eachother would nonetheless turn on one of their own Clanmates if they found out they had killed someone. That they would **blind** them. 

It was _awful_. 

Yet, he could understand why it needed to be done. Did that make _him_ awful? He didn’t think so anyway, but the idea of exiling murderers, that was an idea he liked. 

Is that what could be done to Tigerpaw? 

Now _there_ was a thought. Quite a nice one actually. He imagined Tigerpaw being cast out, forced to live out his days as a Kittypet, the thing he despises the most. His paws tingled with excitement at the idea. 

For all his nightmares about Tigerpaw, he had never once considered that revenge may be an option. 

If he became a Warrior, he would have to face Tigerpaw one day. He would be better, be stronger, he would beat his tormentor. Tigerpaw would never forget him. 

It was if Smokekit was alone in a clearing, with the only two things in the vicinity Tigerpaw and payback. He felt sharp, clear, like he had been living in an area smelling of smoke and fumes and just breathed in his first breath of fresh air. 

_Not,_ he thought, _an inaccurate analogy._

He surprised the two warriors by straightening up, and fixating them both with his clear eyes. He had been told before, by his siblings, just how unsettling his ice-blue eyes were, but even with the two older cats shifting uncomfortably beneath them, he could not care less. 

“Tell me” he ordered “everything about the Warrior Code.” 

* * *

“He’s what?!” Hareflight hissed, eyes round. Doespring, sitting beside him, was much less shocked, and seemed more thoughtful than anything. 

“It makes sense” she said earnestly “why else would he allow a strange kit into the clan? Unless he actually belonged in Windclan.” 

“Belonged?!” Aspenfall rounded on her immediately, claws unsheathed. “He’s a Kittypet! Tallstar fell in love with a Kittypet!” 

Webpaw, who was lucky enough to be sitting near the group when Deadfoot told them, looked between the warriors, eyes wide. “Is Tallstar going to be punished?” He asked, hesitant. “For breaking the Code?” 

There was a pause as all the warriors stopped to think about that. Mudclaw, Webpaw’s mentor, shifted awkwardly, obviously uncomfortable with the idea. “I don’t . . think so” he said tentatively. “And even if he was supposed to be, who’s going to punish him, the Medicine Cats?” 

They all glanced at the two toms, lazing about in the sun together. Hawkheart didn’t seem aware of the conversation, but Barkface stared at them with such an annoyed expression that they all looked away like guilty kits. 

“It’s not like having a Kittypet for a mate is against the Warrior Code” Hickorynose pointed out “it says you can’t take a mate from other clans. The only thing about Kittypets is that you can’t become one.” 

“Besides” Lilywhisker added as she dragged herself over to the conversation “Tallstar wasn’t even a Clan cat when he met that tom. He announced he was leaving Windclan to become a rogue, and may never return. I don’t think we can punish him for breaking the Warrior Code when he wasn’t a warrior anymore.” 

Everyone blinked at the reminder of the time their fearless leader hadn't even been a Clan cat.

Webpaw looked across the hollow as Whitepaw strode up, looking embarrassed but angry. “Fluffhead kit thinks he’s all that!” She hissed, sliding into place next to her friend. “Look at him, eating our food! He’s fed well enough as it is!” 

Peeking across at the kit, who was sitting completely straight, hanging onto every word that Onewhisker and Ashfoot were saying, Webpaw could clearly see what she meant. While scrawny, his coat was glossy and scar free. He scoffed “looks like he could stand to lose a few meals” he muttered, eyeing the kit’s stomach, much rounder than a Clan cat’s, kit or not. 

There was a general mummer of agreement, though the elders looked annoyed. “He’s not the first outsider the Clan has let in, you know” Lilywhisker commented. 

“Those were _rogues_ ” Aspenfall said, as if that were explanation enough “they knew how to hunt, and could actually help the Clan. Having an extra mouth to feed does nothing for us!” 

“The same could be said for any kit ever born” Hickorynose muttered, tail twitching “it’s not until they become apprentices that they will be able to help our Clan. Give him time to learn.” 

Something in Webpaw **flinched** at the idea of sharing a den with a Kittypet. Judging by Whitepaw’s disgusted expression, she clearly felt the same way. 

“ _Kittypets_ ” he muttered, too low for anyone else to hear, and she flicked her tail in agreement. 

* * *

“Okay, I understand **most** of what you’re saying here, but why aren’t Medicine Cats allowed to have kits?” 

Onewhisker paused in his explanation. “I already explained this to you!” He protested “weren’t you listening?” 

“No, I heard the story; Moth Flight was stressed and one of her kits almost drowned, but how did it go from that to _no Medicine Cat is allowed to have kits ever?_ ” Smokekit wasn’t sure if he was offending them or not, but he decided to push on anyways “I mean, it was an accident that could have happened to anyone. Why did they go straight to that?” 

“I-” Ashfoot started, but Smokekit barrelled on, still thinking. 

“And warriors can have kits, but they’re the ones fighting in battles and feeding the Clan, and you don’t see them favouring their family.” He nodded towards the fresh kill pile beside him. 

Both Ashfoot and Onewhisker stared at him, eyes flat. “Spoken like a true Kittypet” Ashfoot said at last, an edge to her tone that wasn’t there before. Startled, Smokekit blinked up at her. _Oh, definitely offended them, then._

Onewhisker sighed, giving her a warning glance before addressing Smokekit “look, it’s good that you’re interested in the Code and all, but don’t say those kinds of things. It’s going to be hard enough for others to accept you, and you challenging our laws isn’t the way to be welcomed. Got it?” 

Awkwardly Smokekit nodded, internally chastising himself. Of course he couldn’t just go in here and question this groups way of life. 

_(Yet a part of him noticed they never answered his question.)_

Instead, he swapped to a -hopefully- safer question “if the Code is for Medicine Cats as well as warriors, then why is it called the Warrior Code?” 

To his relief, Onewhisker just looked thoughtful. “I don’t know” he said “the Code was originally for warriors, but then it expanded to include Medicine Cats as well. It should probably have a different name.” 

Then he shook out his fur and pushed himself to his paws “well, no use worrying about that now. The Medicine Cats- Starclan bless them, couldn’t care less. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got an apprentice to train.” 

“Starclan?” Smokekit blinked. 

“They’re former Clan cats who died and now live in the night sky, watching over us all” Onewhisker called over his shoulder as he strode away. 

_He’s insane,_ Smokekit realised . _The last vestiges of his sanity have crumbled and drained away, leaving him with nothing but delusions._

_Clearly_ _it was all_ _Whitepaw’s_ _fault._

He expected Ashfoot to be shaking her head in response to her obviously less than stable friend, but when he turns back to her, she just watched him for a moment before casually saying “he’s not lying, you know. Our ancestors do live in the sky” _oh so she’s crazy too_ “they even give our leaders nine lives-they can die nine times.” 

. . . . 

Well then. 

_What_ is he supposed to say to that? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I mentioned in the last chapter, there are going to be slight changes to all the clans, making them all different from each other besides just a surface level 'oh these cats like the moor' 'these cats like to swim'. Lionclan, Leopardclan and Tigerclan play a bigger role here. I probably won't be able to get around to them all, besides slight references here and there so here we go: 
> 
> Thunderclan 
> 
> -Changes the least out of all of them 
> 
> -Actually one of the least accepting of any cat, Kittypet or Rogue. Firepaw was the first outsider in a very, very, very long time 
> 
> -Only real difference is that they worship Lionclan as well as Starclan 
> 
> -Very big on scars 
> 
> -Is probably the least accommodating? Towards disabled cats 
> 
> Riverclan 
> 
> -They have two sub-sections of Healers- Med Cats and Shamans 
> 
> -Med Cats are in charge of healing, of patching the cats up from sickness, while Shamans are the ones who look for omens and speak to Starclan. Shamans are said to gain knowledge from speaking to the water itself. Med Cats do not visit the Moonstone while Shamans do, and while Shamans are taught herbs as part of their training, Med Cats outrank them. You cannot be both a Med Cat and a Shaman. 
> 
> (Mothwing would be a Med-Cat and Willowshine would be a shaman. Brambleberry is a shaman and Mudfur is a Med Cat) 
> 
> -They worship Leopardclan as well as Starclan 
> 
> -Probably the most open with Kittypets, they admire their shiny trinkets and things. Despise Rogues though. 
> 
> -Trade with Kittypets for items 
> 
> -When a cat dies, they leave them gifts of shells and stones and feathers. 
> 
> Shadowclan 
> 
> -Basically nocturnal. They sleep in the day and come out at night 
> 
> -Well, sort of. Similar to how Windclan was split between Tunnelers and Chasers, Shadowclan is split between Day Cats and Night Cats. Day Cats work in the day and sleep at night, and vice versa 
> 
> -They worship Tigerclan as well as Starclan, big reason why they're nocturnal
> 
> -Very family orientated, blood is a big thing there. Whoever you are related to determines your social standing. (EG, Brokenstar was already of very high standing due to Raggedstar being his dad) 
> 
> -Their clan is the one with the history of breaking the code the most. This, and the fact that half their clan is nocturnal, making it hard to know just how many Shadowclan cats there are, breeds a lot of distrust 
> 
> -Friendly towards rogues. They admire their ability to survive on their own 
> 
> Windclan 
> 
> -Only worships Starclan. Very religious and usually has a ceremony every six moons where they have a feast in honour of their dead clanmates. Don't believe in Lionclan, Tigerclan or Leopardclan, believe they're myths 
> 
> -Friendly towards rogues, aren't all that fond of Kittypets 
> 
> -Very family orientated, blood is a big thing there. Whoever you are related to determines your social standing. Unlike Shadowclan, however, it has to be direct family. If you have a sibling from another litter, you don't call them your sibling, you call them your kin 
> 
> -Medicine Cats are one of the highest ranking cats there are 
> 
> -I really liked the whole tunneller thing, so after Tallstar took over, he realised how useful the tunnels could be, and asked the former tunnellers to teach the younger ones how to traverse them, in case they were ever needed 
> 
> -The most accommodating towards disabled cats of all four clans. 
> 
> -When one cat dies, the whole clan joins together to mourn not just that cat, but all the dead cats they lost. They stack stones to commemorate how many have died, and to show that none will be forgotten. 
> 
> Outside the Warrior Code, each clan has it's own punishment system. Depending on the offence, the punishment can be warning-minor punishment-prisoner-exile-blinded exile-death. Thunderclan is the most passive then Riverclan then Windclan then Shadowclan. 
> 
> Things get more complicated if it's an outer clan issue- for example Tigerclaw killing Redtail would be an inner Clan issue, he broke the code against a fellow Clan mate. But had Tigerclaw broken the Code and killed Oakheart, Riverclan and Thunderclan both get a say in his punishment. A lot of Clans hate how gently Thunderclan is with their Code-Breakers
> 
> That's all for now!


	7. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smokekit has a chat with the medicine cats. Meanwhile, in Starclan, everybody is freaking out

" . . well that happened”  Ryestalk said, peering down at the camp below. Beside her, Swiftbreeze spluttered uselessly for a moment, aghast at her friends blaise words.

“That’s all you’ve got to say?!” She cried, tail lashing. “They let a  Kittypet into Windclan. A Kittypet.”

“Yes, thank you for reminding me.”

“The prophecy- the  prophecy's changed!”

Ryestalk nodded, amber eyes wide “I  _ know _ . Isn’t that neat?”

“Neat?” Swiftbreeze shrieked “neat?! He’s subverting a prophecy-destiny- and you think it’s neat?!”

She shrugged, tail neatly folded over her paws “fire will still save the clan” she reminded her “it’ll just-” she peered down at the kit “have a little help.”

“Fire alone will save the clan” Swiftbreeze reminded her. “Alone” she emphasized. “It’s changed. He-” unlike her friend, she glared down at the kit, “is not supposed to be here. And now he’s changing things. Ruining things.”

“He hasn’t ruined anything”  Ryestalk said sharply “we just have to remove the ‘alone’ part of the prophecy and then we’re all good.”

“Besides” she continued, seeing Swiftbreeze’s eyes narrow “it’s not the first time a prophecy has changed-it's happened loads of times before.”

“But this is one of the big ones” She whispered back, ears pinned to her head “if this goes wrong, the consequences will be-” she shuddered, twitching at the thought, and  Ryestalk twined their tails together without any other thought.

“My son” she whispered “is going to be killed. And fire is the one who shows the tiger’s true stripes. If-if that  Kittypet ” her voice trembled with the force of the word “prevents it, or even hinders it- I swear to us, I will flay him alive.”

Ryestalk sighed, leaning down to touch Redtail’s mother’s ear. “It’ll be fine” she vowed “you’ll see.”

Swiftbreeze trembled.

* * *

“You boy”  Hawkheart grunted, making his way over to where  Smokekit was sitting. “I was told you may have some injuries I need to look at.”

Smokekit looked up at the brown and grey tom for a moment, before wordlessly rising to his paws and trotting after him.

“Try not to  traumatise this  one will you?”  Onewhisker chirped as he too bounded off.

Barkface , who was reclining outside the Medicine Den, looked up when they passed “’you boy’’?” He echoed, ignoring  Hawkhearts growl as he followed them inside “ Starclan , you  _ are  _ old.”

The older tom let out a harsh breath, before carefully prodding  Smokekit with one of his claws. “You have a couple of scratches I see” he said gruffly “get into a fight?”

Barkface , who had been reaching towards the cobwebs, turned sharply in the direction of  Smokekit , frowning. Why would a kit have wounds? Much less a  Kittypet ?

“Something like that”  Smokekit muttered, tail lashing and kicking up sand.

“Well, they’re not infected-small mercies and all that- but we will have to dress them.”

Smokekit followed his line of sight, curious, then visibly balked when he saw  Barkface making his way over. “Are those cobwebs?” He asked, sounding horrified.

Hawkheart nodded, nonchalant “they’re the best for preventing infections” he explained.

“But what if there’s spiders in them?!” The kit shrieked, muzzle scrunching in disgust.

“I hate to tell you, but if spiders can get you down, then you do not belong here. Besides, the last time  Barkface brought back spider-infested cobwebs was when he was seven moons old-”

“-Which you never let me forget”  Barkface muttered

“-and he has gotten slightly more cautious about just dragging something possibly infested into camp.”

Smokekit bristled, “is that supposed to be a dig at me?”

Hawkheart started unwrapping the webs from the stick they were on “actually, no. But expect a lot of those in your future.”

“It’ll be okay”  Barkface soothed, shooting him a warning look. 

“Don’t lie to the boy” his mentor snorted “you would think being actual grownups would stop our fellow Clanmates from throwing temper tantrums every time someone so much as steps a paw out of line.”

The younger Medicine Cat rolled his eyes, clearly used to these kinds of things, but  Smokekit just stared, wide eyed, up at him, as he continued on.

“ Shadowclan and  Riverclan are somehow the only two sane Clans in this whole forest. We’re all too scared off ‘upsetting our flawless ancestors’ and  Thunderclan is too busy sucking the Warrior Code’s-”

“-Kit present”  Barkface called.

“I’ll tell you here and now, boy;  Shadowclan and  Riverclan may have their own share of issues- Brokenstar can go dive off a cliff for all I care- but they are  ** practical ** . And  Starclan knows we need practical Clans in this forest.”

“Please stop selling your anti-Code agenda to the  _ literal  _ kit.”

“But I’m right!”  Hawkheart protested “we all have a thorn in our paws about half Clan cats, and half rogue cats and half  Kittypet cats, while they’re over there talking about the merits of outsourcing and preventing inbreeding.” He shook his head “ Shadowclan and  Riverclan cats, I tell  ya , they know what they’re doing.”

“I am pretty sure  _ most  _ of  Shadowclan’s warriors are half  Riverclan and vice-versa"  Barkface allowed, before flicking his tail towards  Smokekit “but as I said, you shouldn’t say these things to a kit on his first day with us.”

“It serves as a good distraction”  Hawkheart shrugged, slapping more cobwebs onto the wound. “And who knows? It may be useful in the future for him to know that  Riverclan are very welcoming to  Kittypets \- if things get  _ too hard for you _ ” he told  Smokekit in mock sympathy.

“Things won’t get too hard for me”  Smokekit said, flinching slightly as another piece of cobweb was added to his pelt. 

“Ha!”  Hawkheart barked out a laugh “you say that now.” His gaze turned contemplative. “You are the first  Kittypet to join  Windclan in a very, very long time. Heritage or not? A lot of cats aren’t going to be happy about that.”

“That’s dumb.”

“That’s life” he corrected. “You want my advice boy? If any of the  grown ups start to bug you, keep your head down. Arguing with a Warrior  _ will not _ garner any respect.”

“That explains why  Onewhisker and  Ashfoot were so weird earlier”  Smokekit mumbled, but the two caught it.

Barkface blinked at him “what did you say to get  _ those two _ mad?” He asked, genuinely curious

Smokekit hesitated, shooting the two a nervous look.  Hawkheart rolled his eyes “out with it, boy, we’ve heard it all at this point.”

He dragged a stubby claw through the sand, voice low as he admitted “I asked them why Medicine Cats can’t have kits.”

Hawkhearts paws paused just above one of his wounds.

“It doesn’t make any sense” he tried to explain “the story of why is just so stupid, and could happen to anyone, and I don’t get it!”

Hawkheart made a deep rumbling  noise . . purring? He looked up to see bright amber eyes shining back at him.

“Dear  Starclan ” he said “finally. Someone with a modicum of sense.”  Barkface shook his head, but he didn’t look condemning like  Ashfoot and Onewhisker, gaze almost warm. “But-yeah, don’t say things like that. Not yet at least.”

“Wait a couple of moons before you overthrow our entire system”  Barkface suggested as he left the den.

“Wouldn’t that be something”  Hawkheart sighed fondly, before scooching back a little. “Okay, you should be good now. Just- try and keep those on and don’t scratch at them and you should be fine.”

He actually escorted  Smokekit out of the den, little kit trailing behind him like a shadow. Across the clearing,  Ashfoot perked up a little at seeing him, rising to her paws and making her way over to him, but stopped when  Tallstar cut across her easily.

“Hawkheart” he greeted, dipping his head a little in a show of respect.

(To this day he wasn’t sure if that was because he was a Medicine Cat or because he had enough blackmail material on  Tallstar to last him a lifetime. Or nine lifetimes.)

“ Tallstar ” he returned, aware of  Smokekit’s curious eyes on them “tell me you aren’t dying again.”

Smokekit blinked, looking as if he was questioning his life choices. Good. He was learning.

“Oh no”  Tallstar said nonchalantly “I was actually wondering if I could speak to our newest member?” His tail, which he was named after, flicked towards  Smokekit whose fur immediately spiked up. He shot  Hawkheart a look of desperation, ears slicked back against his head.

Hawkheart smirked. “Sure, go ahead” he said, using his paw to bodily shove him towards the leader. It was like watching his soul die.  Hawkheart felt like an asshole, but he also felt like laughing.

Smokekit shot him a look over his shoulder as he slinked behind the leader, tail twitching nervously. As he did so,  Hawkheart couldn’t help but notice the way the Clan was staring, wide eyes following the two into his den. The second they disappeared from sight, they broke out in mutterings and mummering's, tails twitching.

His eyes narrowed.  _ What  _ _ the. _ __ _.? _

Barkface , eyes wide and face slack. “You are not going to believe this!” He chirped, skidding to a halt. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this verse, Riverclan and Shadowclan are very casual with the whole have kits with other clans and rogues and kittypets thing. They do this to prevent inbreeding. It’s very common for cats of Riverclan and Shadowclan to just . . . not mention who the father is. 
> 
> The reason why the Bluestar-Oakheart thing is so controversial within the clans is because Mistyfoot and Stormfur thought they knew both of their parents, and Bluestar is both a Thunderclan cat and leader
> 
> Thunderclan is the Clan most obsessed with the Code, while Windclan is the most obsessed with impressing Starclan, so they don’t do it as much, but they do understand the need to bring in outsiders now and then (though they have never brought in Kittypets before Rusty and Smokekit 
> 
> Also! Planning on changing Runningpaw from cis-female to agender. Thoughts?


	8. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Runningpaw makes an entrance, Tallstar and Tiny talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Runningpaw may have the potential to be my new favourite character in this. 
> 
> The next chapter is the last chapter Smokekit will spend as a kit (yay timeskip!)

Runningpaw hated hunting.

The  hares were always too big for them or any other apprentice to carry back, unless they wanted to drag said hare through the sand and dirt on the way back to camp.

“You’ll grow into those legs of yours”  Tornear had assured them as he strode on ahead into camp. Immediately dumping the small  vole they had found onto the pile, they spun around in circles, trying to catch a glimpse of the newcomer. “Easy” he warned, giving them a nudge “you’ll make yourself dizzy.”

They were only half listening, craning their head in the direction of the nursery.  Runningpaw was about to make their way over when they caught their mentors warning glance. He jerked his chin in the direction of their fellow apprentices, and, catching his meaning, they bounded over to their friends, squashing their  disappointment .

It was okay, they would have plenty of time to speak to the new cat in camp later!

_New cat!_ Oh, they haven’t been this excited since they got to see  Ashfoot’s kits! **Finally** , something _new_ in this place.

“Hey guys!” They greet, weaving between the two of them. “What’s up?”

Whitepaw and  Webpaw immediately make room for them,  Whitepaw’s tail reaching out to twine with their own “I caught a robin today”  Whitepaw boasted. 

“That’s amazing!” They praised, and meant it. Bird hunting was _hard_ when the land was wide and open.

“You catch anything?”

They gestured with their head towards the fresh-kill pile “a vole. Oh, and a rabbit, but I think it was injured or something, it was moving so slowly.”

“Or you were too quick for it”  Whitepaw suggested. “Tornear have to carry it back for you?”

“Yeah. It’s tough being small.”

“We’ll grow”  Webpaw assured her, eyeing the much bigger warriors, before dropping his voice “although, speaking of small. . .”

Runningpaw brightened, kneading the ground “you guys met Smokekit?”

“I haven’t”  Webpaw corrected “ Whitepaw has. And, I  gotta say, he doesn’t sound great.”

They blinked at him. “What do you mean?” They ask.  Smokekit had seemed perfectly fine at the border, a little quiet, perhaps, and that moment between him and his father had  been . . _awkward_ . . but other than that!

“I  _ mean  _ he stole prey from the fresh-kill pile!”  Whitepaw complains, voice reedy.

Runningpaw turned and stared at the fresh-kill pile. Which was out in the open. For all to see. “What?” They asked.

Whitepaw looked embarrassed for a moment “well, not stole” she admitted, before quickly saying “but that prey belongs to the Clan! Not a  Kittypet !”

“I thought he was part of the Clan now”  Runningpaw frowned. Had their friends missed the over the top and super dramatic ceremony? 

“She means”  Webpaw stepped in, sensing  Whitepaw’s frustrations “he’s not a _real_ Clan Cat. Like **us**.” He puffed out his chest and nudged the grey cat lightly. 

They looked down at their paws “oh” they said, studying them. _But he’s part of the Clan,_ they almost said, biting back the words. _Doesn’t that make him part of the Clan?_

Webpaw rolled his eyes but let out a light huff of amusement.  Whitepaw just bops her friend on their head with her own paw, before turning back to scanning the landscape.

“ Watcha lookin ’ for?”  Runningpaw asked, head tilting.

“Last I saw he was heading into the Medicine Den”  Webpaw said, shrugging. Beside him,  Whitepaw’s muzzle wrinkled.

“Probably  knicked his pelt and went whining for someone to make it better” she said, nose in the air “wasting our supplies.”

Runningpaw perked up, because very rarely were they ever given the chance to correct anyone “actually” they said eagerly “ itwasprobablyfromthedogfight -”

“What?”  Webpaw blinked at them “slow down a little.”

Their tail flicked, annoyed, but they did so “it was probably from the dog fight!” They explained “he and his dad fought a dog on the way here! The injures were probably from that.” Their whiskers droop a little, because they hadn’t noticed him _look_ injured, when he had appeared on the border. But then, his coat was dark-

The looks  Whitepaw and  Webpaw gave them were just short of pity. “What?” They ask, seeing them exchange a loaded look “what?!” They repeated, because they _hated_ being locked out of the loop.

Whitepaw took a step forwards, face soft “ Runningpaw ” she said “you do know that he was probably lying right?”

Runningpaw blinked “what?”

“Lying”  Webpaw echoed “you know, to make himself look better, so that he would be let in.”

Runningpaw was already shaking their head “no  no no , he has the dog’s tooth, he has it!” They insisted, feeling oddly antsy about this whole thing.

“Just because he has a dog’s tooth doesn’t mean he actually fought one”  Whitepaw pointed out gently “for all we know, it fell out of a dog’s mouth and he kept it to look cool.”

“But his dad-”

“Was probably lying too, to get his son to a safe place. I wouldn’t blame him” she added as an afterthought “wanting to keep your kin safe. I’d lie too.”

“Kittens do not fight dogs”  Webpaw told them “especially not Kittypets. You do get that right?”

Runningpaw looked in the direction of the Medicine Cat Den, where  Smokekit had yet to make an appearance. They thought of how he had told his story, wide eyed and earnest. _You’re wrong,_ they think.

Their friends eyes are on them, waiting for their approval, so they swallowed and said "yeah, I get that."

* * *

Tallstar looked nervous.

Having the leader of an entire Clan being nervous in your presence is either a very good thing or a very bad thing. Right  now Smokekit is leaning towards the latter.

His den was nice, soft sandy floors and a  featherlined nest. Heather and other flowers are spotted around the floor, some growing up through it and others plucked and brought in. It makes it smell nice and sweet. He liked it.

What he  _ didn’t  _ like was how  Tallstar would look at him, wide eyed as if he was expecting  Smokekit to turn into a dog and attack him. 

“Okay”  Tallstar said, taking a deep breath in “okay, okay okay.”

“Okay?” Smokekit echoed back.

He glanced at him for a second before looking away. It struck  Smokekit that  Tallstar no more knew what to make of him, than he did of Tallstar. 

It was very nice of him to accept him into the Clan of course, but why? Even if him and- and Jake were boyfriends, or  _ whatever  _ that had been about, he was still under no obligation to help  _ Smokekit _ .

(Although, the new name was pretty great, and he wriggled a little at that thought. Smokekit. Made him sound all cool and mysterious. Much better than **Tiny** )

“Okay, so” he scanned the kit in front of him “how old are you exactly?”

Smokekit stared at him blankly. How was he supposed to know?

Tallstar gawked at him a moment, before shaking his fur out briskly. “Right, okay, uh. You look” he squinted harshly “four moons? Roughly. If I had to guess.”

“I’m small for my age”  Smokekit snapped, defensive.

“Right” he muttered “of course you are. Of course.” He sighed, as if he had been handed a great load, which  Smokekit found a little unfair all things considered. “We’ll go with five and a bit moons” he decided. “I assume you have been told about apprentices?”

Smokekit nodded “one of your cats is given the responsibility to raise, train and care for a younger cats health and wellbeing and hopefully not mess them up enough so that they can be a functional Clan member.”

It took a couple of seconds for  Tallstar to compose himself. “Never should have left you with  Hawkheart ” he grumbled, twitching “It’s true but did you have to put it like that?” 

Smokekit shrugged wordlessly.

“Yes, well, in any case. You know that you will be given a mentor when you hit six moons then?”

“ Of course ”  Smokekit , who Did Not Know That, snapped back. “That was one of the first things they told me. Can’t wait to see who I get; the tom who thinks I don’t belong or the  she -cat who thinks I’m going to fail.  So many options.”

“I don’t-”  Tallstar looked  stricken “not everyone believes you’re going to fail.”

“Nothing to say about me not belonging, I see” he noted.

“You  _ do  _ belong here”  Tallstar insisted “I already took care of that somewhat. And I don’t think you’re going to fail. Neither does  Ashfoot or Hawkheart.”

“ Hawkheart was just telling me that when this all went south, to go to  Riverclan because they love Kittypets.”

The leader glanced up at the roof of his den, as if searching for some divine answers from the alleged star spirits. “ Of course he did” he sighed “of course. Probably went into the whole rant about the Warrior Code and it’s ‘illogical fallacies’”

Smokekit shrugged. “He raised some good points” he said.

Tallstar looked up sharply. “For your sake, and mine, we’re going to pretend you didn’t just say that.” The smaller cat shrunk back a little at his tone. “I mean it, never repeat that to anyone here, if you don’t want to be ripped to shreds.”

“Is it that big of a deal?”

“Huge” he confirmed. “You may get away with saying these things in  Shadowclan and  Riverclan , but not here. You say those things, all you’ll be doing is showing off just how much of an outsider you are to the rest of the Clan.”

_ Ouch _ . “Understood” he mumbled into his fur.

Sensing the mood shift,  Tallstar’s eyes widened, leaping to his paws. “No-wait-!” He breathed in deeply, fur settling somewhat.

“I didn’t just call you up here to ask about your knowledge of the Clans” he admitted. “I- I am aware” he tested the words “that you no longer have any connection to your parents.”

The fur along  Smokekit’s spine spiked. “Yeah, well” he muttered, claws raking the ground “that’s over, so-”

“Of course!”  Tallstar hurried to say “if you don’t want to talk about it, I certainly won’t force you. I also lost my father at a young age-he died in a tunneling accident.”

_ Oh _ .  Smokekit stared at him, eyes wide. The closest he had ever gotten to death was with  Tigerpaw and the dog. The closest he had ever witnessed death was the dog getting hit by a creature. 

He wasn’t sure how he felt about his Mama, but that didn’t mean he wanted her dead.

“If you ever want to talk about it, either with Jake or your mother, please, don’t hesitate to seek me out” he said, all earnest and wide eyed, and all  Smokekit could do was nod, though the mention of Jake made him uneasy.

“Uh, thank you” he said, bowing his head slightly before making his way out of the den.

“Of course. And  Smokekit ” he peered over his shoulder at the tom, who was now sitting in his nest, gaze soft “I really do hope you choose to stay in Windclan. You seem like a promising young cat and I would really like to get to know you better.”

Feeling somehow even more awkward, he gave a little nod, then padded out of the den. “That was weird” he announced to the sky, before making his way down to where  Ashfoot was waiting.


	9. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deadfoot and Ashfoot have a talk and Smokekit is an idiot
> 
> Warning for Enbyphobic comments near the end

“The scrap with legs told me you’d be here” is the greeting  Deadfoot gives her, sidling up alongside his mate “shouldn’t you be in the den?”

“ Smokekit and  Morningflower are watching over them” she reminded him. “Besides, if I have to spend one more second in that cramped den, Starclan help me.”

“It’s actually quite spacious”  Deadfoot mused “back in my day-”

“Did you seriously just say that?” She blurted, and his nose twitched.

“Point” he admitted.

“What did  Tallstar want?”

“He propositioned me” he said, voice flat.

“ Of course, he did. He is part of your fawning harem of drooling lovers” Her whiskers twitched, amused.

He purred, butting his head against her chest. “Don’t worry dear; you're my favorite” he promised, before sobering “he actually wanted to ask me about the new kit.”   


Ashfoot stiffened “Smokekit?” 

“The new kit” he repeated. Seeing her eyes narrow, he sighed, tail flicking. “Look, it’s not that he’s a  Kittypet that’s bothering me it’s-”

“He’s a kit” she  emphasized .

“A kit with no knowledge of the Clans, or it’s customs.”

“He can  _ learn _ . He  ** is  ** learning, if you lot would just give him a chance.”

“It’s not the fact that he’s a  Kittypet I have a problem with” he sighed, shaking his head “the others are going to eat him alive” he said seriously.

The soft pound of paws on sand stopped  Ashfoot from responding as  Runningpaw bounded up to them.

Normally  Ashfoot would be annoyed at the interruption, but this conversation was going to unpleasant places and it was  _ Runningpaw _ . She had known them from before they transitioned, back when they were a lonely kit in the nursery.

( The fact that  Plumclaw was a senior warrior did nothing to stop  Ashfoot’s seething contempt for her)

Stupid motherly instinct. She had been much better at ignoring the young ones before she gave birth.

“Hello Runningpaw” she said, dipping her head at the wiry apprentice and pointedly ignoring her mate “can I help you with something?”

The tabby bounced on their paws, a thing she’d seen them do since  kithood .“I was wondering if you’d seen Smokekit” they said “I wanted to talk to him.”

Ashfoot felt something in her lighten.  _ Finally _ ! Someone around his age reaching out!  Runningpaw was always the odd one out of the apprentices- Whitepaw and  Webpaw were much closer-and now they could have their own friend.

It felt like the leaves had parted, revealing a ray of sunlight. 

“He’s in the Nursery” she said, trying not to sound too eager “looking after  Eaglekit ,  Rapidkit and Waspkit. I’m sure he’d be delighted to see you.”

_ I’m sure he would be delighted to see any friendly face _ she added silently.

After they vanished from sight in a blur of grey and silver, she turned her attention back onto Deadfoot, expression severe “he’s a good kid” she insisted, bristling slightly under his cool gaze.

He actually looked genuinely shocked for a moment. “I never said he wasn’t” he protested, hurt “what I  _ am  _ saying is that it’s going to be hard, and you really shouldn’t get your hopes up.”

Ashfoot didn’t dignify that with a response, instead rising to her feet and marching away.

* * *

Waspkit was a biter.

Teething,  Ashfoot had called it, and  Smokekit could see why she wanted out of the den for the moment, the kits needle-sharp teeth digging into his slender tail. He had long since given up shaking him off, instead choosing to just sit and wait it out. 

“Hello again!”

Morningflower looked up from where she was licking a paw, gaze warm. “Ah, hello  Runningpaw ” she said, rising to her paws. “Have you met  Smokekit yet?”

“Yup!” She nodded proudly “I was on the patrol that brought him in! Iwasactuallytheonewhofoundhim!”

Smokekit blinked as the rest of her words blurred together, but  Morningflower just nodded in complete understanding. “Good on you” she praised “those sharp senses will make you a great warrior.” 

Runningpaw did a little dance, prancing around the Nursery as  Morningflower informed  Smokekit that “they’re such a good help! Most cats never visit the Nursery after they’re made apprentices but  Runningpaw always stops by to look at the kits.”

“I like kits” she admitted “weird to think we were that small once, right?” She gave  Smokekit a friendly blink, pale green eyes wide as she took in the clumps of fur that were the newborns. Much to his relief, she didn’t make a pass about his size.

“When you’re made an apprentice, you’ll be sharing a den with  Runningpaw ”  Morningflower told him “they can show you the basics if you like.”

Smokekit snorted “yeah right. I don’t think the others will be very helpful.”

Morningflower seemed surprised, or maybe confused, the shadows of the den hiding half of her face. But  Runningpaw seemed distressed, kneading the ground with her front paws. “ Webpaw and  Whitepaw are really very nice” she blurted “you just surprised them, that’s all.”

Neither he nor  Morningflower seemed impressed by this, and she dithered under their joint gazes, almost folding in on herself before his eyes.

“Sorry, is there supposed to be a designated day for when  Kittypets can come in asking for shelter?” He snapped “they can get over themselves!”

Honestly, adults were bad enough, but cats his own age who barely even held a conversation with him, judging him? Condemning him?  _ That  _ was unfair.

“I know!” She cried, and  Smokekit was startled for a moment, thinking she had somehow read her mind “but everyone’s worried about food shortages especiallysinceleafbare’scomingandnowyou’rehere-”

“Do you know what she’s saying?” He asked  Morningflower bluntly, and  Runningpaw fell silent beside him.

To his surprise, now  Morningflower was looking at him with disapproval. “First of all, don’t  interrupt someone when they’re speaking” she said, tone severe “secondly, they were talking about how when leaf bare comes, we now have an extra mouth to feed-not exactly a _ minor issue _ ” she glared at him.

With every word being spoken,  Runningpaw seemed to shrink more and more, which was odd, because he was the one being chastised, not her. 

“Thirdly” she said, a growl starting to make its way in the back of her throat “please respect  Runningpaw’s gender and pronouns. We are allowing you to live and grow with us, and if you want the others to not  _ maim you _ , the least you could do is not misgender someone.”

“Okay!”  Runningpaw exclaimed, stepping between the angry mother and the scolded kit. “It’s okay  Morningflower , I never explained my pronouns-or my gender- to him!”

She seemed almost excited when she turned to him and announced “I’m agender, just so you know! They them pronouns please!”

Smokekit peeked at  Morningflower , whose gaze was serious as she stared at him. “Yeah, everyone’s a gender” he said “and what do you mean by  they pronouns?”

She seemed surprised by the question. “No, not a gender. Agender. It means I’m not a tom or a she-cat, so instead of calling me she or her, you would call me they or them.”

“. . . But that doesn’t make any sense”  Smokekit said.

“ Smokekit ”  Morningflower warned.

“But it doesn’t!” He insisted, because it  _ didn’t _ . Star strung cats and nine lives and medicine cats were weird enough, but claiming that you  ** weren’t  ** a gender? “How can you  _ not be _ a gender?”

A faint but distinct scent of nervousness permeated the den. “Well” she said slowly “I suppose it’s the same way you are a tom. You’re just kind of-born like it.”

Smokekit was already shaking his head “no” he protested “I was born a tom, just like you were born a she-cat. Just like you are a she-cat. I don’t get how you can feel like you’re not one, it doesn’t make sense!”

“Gender doesn’t have to make sense-”

“ Yes it does!” He couldn’t believe he  _ actually  _ was arguing with her over this “there are only two genders, you can’t just  _ choose  _ not to be one, it’s stupid!”

** “Enough.” **

Morningflower was no longer sitting in the corner, instead, sometime during the discussion she had made her way over to the two. Her tortoisehell coat seemed to almost catch aflame in the weak light of the den. Her gaze made  Smokekit shrink away, but  Runningpaw remained frozen, not even looking at either of them.

When she turned to Runningpaw, her voice was kind “why don’t you go and find your friends dear? I heard they were out exploring together.”

The apprentice looked down at her paws, trembling slightly. “I-okay” she gave the two a  wide-eyed stare before she slinked away “sorry” she whispered, but to who the apology was  addressed to,  Smokekit didn’t know.

Morningflower waited until her  pawsteps , oddly hesitant, faded away before rounding on him. “What is wrong with you?” She  demanded; voice as cold as her pelt was warm. “Do you- don't ever say those things ever again, are we understood?” When he didn’t answer, shocked silent, she loomed over him, driving him back into the thorny wall of the den. “Are we understood?”

He nodded, but she wasn’t finished.

“We are allowing you to join our Clan, to feed and raise and care for you. The least- the  _ least  _ you could do is have some respect for your fellow cat. I had assumed that you weren’t raised like some backwards savage, that when someone asks you to call them something, you listen.”

“That’s not true-”  Smokekit protested, unfairness stinging his pelt.

“And you’re doing a great job of disapproving that!” She snapped. “You are an outsider. You don’t get the right to judge others on their roles or jobs or – Starclan forbid- orientation. It’s not your business why  Runningpaw is agender. You don’t need to ask questions,  _ just do as you’re told _ .”

The words stung more than  Tigerpaw’s claws ever could, hot shame starting to make  its home underneath  Smokekit’s pelt as he cowered in front of her, ears flat. And then the flames that made up  Morningflower’s coat extinguished as a shadow cut off the light from the den.

“Thanks for taking care of them for me  Smokekit ”  Ashfoot , not  realizing what she had just walked in on at first, said, before she processed the scene in front of her; the calm and gentle  Morningflower , fluffed up and furious, standing over the pathetic looking  Smokekit . “What’s going on?” She asked warily and  Morningflower huffed.

“I’d recommend giving this one a talk about respecting others genders” she said, brushing past the other Queen to leave the Nursery.

It took a second for  Ashfoot to comprehend what she was implying, at least until she remembered how  Runningpaw had left the den, looking as small as they did whenever their parents were around.

Her eyes narrowed at  Smokekit’s . “What did you _do_?”

* * *

“I’m going to kill him”  Whitepaw breathed, as if making a prayer.  Webpaw didn’t bother to make such declarations, already stomping back towards camp, fur bristled and claws out.

Runningpaw planted themself between their friend and the path to camp. “Please don’t” they sighed, feeling more strung out than they felt they should. One pointless conversation, and it felt like all their energy had drained out of their paws and into the earth. “I-he’s a kit.”

“Being a kit doesn’t excuse this!”  Webpaw snapped, tail lashing.  Whitepaw stepped up beside him, gaze cold and hard.

Starclan, they needed to resolve this before that kit died.

“I think the thing he struggled to understand is how someone cannot be any gender” they explained “not that someone can swap genders later in life. He shouldn’t have a problem with you two.”

They had to hold back a wince as they imagined how  Whitepaw and  Webpaw would react if  Smokekit reacted badly to their transitioning.

Oddly, the two didn’t look comforted. “That’s not what we’re mad about, Run”  Whitepaw said, and they looked blankly at the two of them.

“It’s not?”

“No!”  Webpaw stared at her, eyes round “he’s a  kittypet . He doesn’t know anything, and if tries to claim that I’m not a tom or that  Whitepaw isn’t a she-cat, then all he’s doing is showing the Clan how stupid he is.”

“I don’t think he’s stupid” they muttered “just confused. I probably just explained it wrong.”

“Confused or not, he has no right to treat you like that”  Whitepaw snapped “especially when you were just saying hello. It’s your gender, there’s no  _ wrong way _ for you to explain it.”

“Okay?”  Runningpaw said, a little bit confused. What was going on here? They had thought the two would be more concerned about  Smokekit misgendering themselves, not  Runningpaw .

The two gave  each other that look and immediately  Runningpaw , the lankiest of their friends, felt smaller, shrunken. They had known them since  kithood , and they had never been able to decipher those looks.

Webpaw doesn’t try and march back to camp anymore, instead winding his tail around  Whitepaw’s as he suggests “why don’t we all race eachother? First one to the Outlook Rock?”

It’s blatant in  its attempts to cheer them up, and reminds  Runningpaw of when warriors would come and play with them in the nursery; letting them win the fights they picked with them. It makes them feel silly, to be upset over something like this, a kit being insensitive? What a shock.

But if they don’t,  Webpaw and  Whitepaw will be upset if their attempts to cheer them up fail. So they take off without warning, listening to their startled calls from behind them.

“That’s cheating!”  Whitepaw calls, scrambling after them, voice much more relaxed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whitepaw and Webpaw are trans! Smokekit actually wouldn't have a problem with that, he'll later find out his half brother Fireheart is also trans (ftm transitioned before the series). It's not swapping genders that's tripping him up, it's not being a gender at all.
> 
> Quince never really talked to him or his siblings about this kind of thing for the same reason we don't talk with toddlers about any of this. Smokekit is an outsider and as such has extremely different views than the Windclan cats


End file.
